The Thirteen Ghosts of Prue Halliwell
by Theodore Hawkwood
Summary: Prue and the Morrowind crew must confront 13 of the most terrifying ghosts and return them to the Chest of Demons, with the help of the Mystery Gang from Scooby Doo. A continuation of Forever May Not Be Long Enough.
1. Prologue: The Warning to the Living

**Prologue: The Warning to Living Mortals**

**Disclaimer: I was inspired partially by a certain '80s adaptation of a popular cartoon sereis, some O.C. I created and my continuing AU Charmedverse where Prue still lives. **

---

_This is a warning to all living mortals: that whosoever opens this Chest of Demons will release thirteen of the most terrifying ghosts upon the face of the earth..._

_---_

BOOM!

"Vinny!!!!" came the shout.

"What?" Vinny asked.

"Don't 'what' me!" Kolopak said, "Come back here you lunatic!!"

In other words, it was just another typical day aboard the _Morrowind. _"What's Vinny invented this time?" Audrey asked as she poured herself a glass of milk.

"I'd rather not know, frankly." Godfrey replied, as he sipped at some hot tea, "Amazing how Vinny's good standing eroded rather quickly."

"How's Prue?" Audrey asked.

"She's still somewhat in mourning." Godfrey replied.

"Gawrsh, Godfrey, maybe she could buy a better watch, ahyuck because it's afternoon." Goofy replied.

"That's _mourning_ Goofy, not _**morning!!!" **_Donald shouted.

"Bloody hell Donald, you don't have to shout so loudly, I'm standing four feet away." Godfrey replied.

"Donald, amigo, quit jumping up and down." Audrey said, "You might just..."

"OUCH!!!" Donald shouted as he stepped on a wind up porcupine on the floor.

"...step on something." Audrey replied.

"What is that thing?" D'Artagnan asked.

"It looks like another one of Vinny's inventions." Godfrey replied.

"What do you think it does?" D'Artagnan asked, as he looked it over.

"D'Artagnan, if it's one of Vinny's inventions its bound to explode, electrify, shoot fire or do something similar..." Audrey replied.

With a hiss of escaping compressed air the invention fired all the needles that were its artificial quills all over the room, right into Donald's rear end.

"YOWCH!!!!" Donald shouted as he jumped into the air and landed feet first onto the porcupine which promptly exploded, flinging him backwards into the lounge wall and knocking him unconscious.

"Yep, it's one of Vinny's inventions all right." Cookie commented.

"On that other note, how's Prue holding up?" Audrey asked.

"I don't know." Godfrey replied, "But it seems like she's making some progress every day..."

Prue walked into the room just then. She still looked tired and her eyes somewhat reddened from crying when she noticed Donald lying unconscious on the floor. "Redecorating?" Prue asked.

"Yes." Godfrey deadpanned, "We're calling it, Deconstruction a la Vinny..."

Just then a clockwork circus clown, standing about two feet tall walked into the room. "Watch out!" Godfrey shouted.

The clockwork clown stopped in the middle of the floor just then as Vinny walked into the room, "Oh, I see you've found my clockwork clown." Vinny said.

"Vinny," Prue asked warily, "Does it explode? Electrify? Shoot fireballs?"

"No." Vinny replied, "Also have you seen my wind up porcupine mine?"

"Yes." Godfrey replied, "It already exploded."

"Vinny, what drives you to create these things?" Prue asked.

"Prue, you've been onboard for almost a year and you're still asking that?" Audrey replied, "We've been living with the lunatic for years and we still don't know what drives him to create the things he does."

"What is that thing supposed to do anyway Vinny?" Godfrey asked, "Or would I be better off not knowing."

"Ye of little faith." Vinny replied, "It just so happens that I've created a clown shaped walking can opener."

"Why would we want something like that?" Prue asked, curiousity piqued.

"This isn't like you, Vinny." D'Artagnan added, "Normally your inventions have some destructive elements behind them..."

Vinny said, "And that's not all. It also features a little music box inside it."

Vinny wound up another crank and the clown started to sway back and forth like a metronome, playing an instrumental_** It's A Small World After All**_.

"OK," Prue began, "It's official, I liked it better when Vinny's inventions would explode instead of playing dumb kid songs that get stuck in your head all day."

The tune got faster and faster paced. "Vinny, can you turn that thing off, it's getting annoying."

"Uhm, I can't figure out how to turn it off, that's the problem." Vinny said.

"So you've invented a walking, can opening, music playing clown _without an off switch?_" Audrey asked.

"Yes." Vinny replied.

"So how long does it take the clown's motors to die down?" Prue asked.

"About seventeen hours, give or take five minutes." Vinny replied.

"I've got a better idea..." Donald said, "Thundaga!!"

"Donald," Prue began, "That might not be a good..."

Donald sent a bolt of lightning into the machine only to have it overload and then explode apart. _BOOM!_

"...idea." Prue finished.

"Eh heh heh heh..." Vinny said.

"Prepare to die Vinny! Thundaga!!!" Donald shouted as he chased the Italian inventor down the hallways.

"Explosions, check." Prue began, "Donald or Kolopak beating up on Vinny, check..."

"Let's not forget Donald beating his head against the wall." Godfrey added.

"Not right now but..." Prue began.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"Bound to occur." Godfrey replied, "Check."

"It sounds like another day on the _Morrowind._" Prue replied, taking the seat on the couch beside Godfrey.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"Do you have any more of that tea?" Prue asked, "I never imagined I'd actually develop a taste for the stuff."

"There should still be some left if Donald doesn't wind up knocking over the kettle." Godfrey replied.

"I'm amazed that thing survived around here." Prue replied.

"I'm amazed my sanity has survived here." Godfrey replied.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"He's still at it? How many whacks does the pool say this time?" Prue replied.

"Twenty-seven." Godfrey said, "I've got about twenty pounds riding on twenty-five."

"You're betting below the spread?" Prue asked.

"I was short two last time." Godfrey replied.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"Donald..." Prue began, "Will you quit doing that? I mean banging your head against the wall in frustration doesn't help anything..."

"It's good for morale though." D'Artagnan commented as he went into the rec room to grab a book off the nearest shelf.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"I'm amazed Donald can remember anything with all of his head banging..." Prue began.

"Come on, five more whacks..." Godfrey began.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! CRASH! BONK! BASH! BONK! WHACK!

A ceiling tile, several books, and a couple bookends rom a nearby shelf all landed on top of Donald's head and he promptly collapsed to the ground.

"Merde..." D'Artagnan laughed as he walked off, "It seems that I have taken the pool."

"Wanker." Godfrey groaned as he realized his twenty pounds had been lost by one bloody point.

Prue smiled faintly at the humor of it all. _The more things change..._she thought. Though the change in question was a rather painful change.

Godfrey instinctively put an arm around her shoulders. Prue instinctively leaned her head against his shoulder. She had found his presence to be oddly comforting in the past few days, since Andy's wake when she'd collapsed, sobbing into his arms. _They're quite strong arms, despite the fact that he's on the lean side. _

She breathed in Godfrey's smell, it was a mix of that strongly spicy smelling British army issue aftershave and his natural smell. _To think that smell used to bother me when we first met..._

Godfrey held Prue close to him, in a comforting manner. No words were really necessary right now. He wasn't sure why, but it started to feel natural for Prue to be on his arm. _No tears today? Good. On one hand she'll be her old self again. _Godfrey felt himself smile. _On the other she won't quite be needing my shoulder as much any longer, and I'll honestly miss that. _Godfrey felt sadness wash over him. Prue wouldn't be needing his comforting arm for too much longer and that excuse to hold her in his arms would no longer be.

Prue looked up at Godfrey, and despite herself, smiled.She found Godfrey's closeness to be comforting. She closed her eyes just as she heard the sound of Kolopak clearing his throat.

Both Godfrey and Prue sat up, Prue moving her head from Godfrey's shoulder, "What's going on?" Godfrey asked.

"It seems that we have a grave threat on our hands." Kolopak began, "We're heading to Timor after we stop for fuel and ammunition in Mayapore..."

"Timor," Prue began, "Wait, the Japanese control that area, right?"

"Yes, but it's contested. Their having to contend with Australian jungle fighters in their rear echelons, causing havoc and sabotage and disappearing into the brush." Kolopak replied, "In exchange for the fuel and ammo we'll receive in Mayapore, we're resupplying the Australian 2/2nd Independent Company with ammunition, food, and medicine. The Allies want to keep that force in being as much as possible, while they shore up Port Moresby and Buna Gona."

"What are we taking onboard?" Godfrey asked.

"Small arms and ammunition, plus a substantial amount of demolition kit. The Japanese are up to something big in the area." Kolopak replied, "We arrive in Mayapore tomorrow morning."

Kolopak left the room then, and as he turned away from Prue and Godfrey, a wry smile formed on his face. _Note to self, put in fifteen pounds that Prue and Godfrey will be an item in a month. I believe the pool is up to five hundred pounds now, as to when Prue and Godfrey will be together. Personally I do think their first kiss will be two weeks from now..._

"Did you notice Kolopak giving us an odd look?" Godfrey asked Prue.

"Not really." Prue replied.

"I could've sworn the old Aztec had something on his mind..." Godfrey replied.

BOOM!

"Why the Australians need demolition supplies, I don't understand. Why don't we just leave Vinny with them?" Prue replied.

"Vinny serves his purposes around here." Godfrey replied.

"It's Alive! It's Alive!!! Ah ha ha ha ha!!! Ah ha ha ha...uh oh..." Vinny laughed.

"Vinny..." Kida began calmly, "PREPARE TO DIE!!!"

"OW! OW! OW! OW!" Vinny shouted as Kida beat the daylights out of him over this latest explosion.

"I'll head down there and save Vinny's life." Godfrey replied.

"I'll go with you." Prue added.

_---_

"Mayapore's changed a good bit." Godfrey mused as he walked down the street of the British side of the river.

"You've been away for almost a year." Prue observed.

"Yes, but I didn't expect things to change so much." Godfrey replied. A majority of the constables patrolling Mayapore's streets he didn't recognize, several of them looked to be much older or younger than the usual lot that composed the force before the war.

"Mr. Godfrey, blimey sir, you'reasight for sore eyes." Hiller said as he moved his agile bulk in a trot to catch up.

"As I live and breathe you wanker..." Godfrey smiled and noticed the rank insignia on Hiller's shoulders, "They promoted you? Congratulations mate..."

"Why yes sir." Hiller said, "I'm now head of Mayapore's Constabulary."

"Better you than Merrick." Godfrey observed.

"How is the old tyrant..." Hiller remarked.

"He's with the Mirbat Guides, but some relatives of Daphne arranged for him to be transferred to Traverse Town." Godfrey replied.

"Miss Halliwell..." Hiller remarked, with a courteous smile.

"It's Prue." Prue replied, "Miss makes me feel old."

"You're not even thirty." Godfrey remarked.

Prue remarked, "A woman's greatest secret is her age..."

"True to remember, Mr. Godfrey." Hiller smiled, "I always say my wife is in her twenties and leave it at that. Good day to you, Mr. Godfrey, Miss Halliwell..."

As the two walked by, an older Indian woman greeted them. "Lady Chatterjee." Godfrey remarked, "I received your latest letter regarding Daphne only yesterday."

Prue smiled warmly at her old hostess(1), "Lady Chatterjee..."

"Ah, Prue, you are looking well." Lady Chatterjee replied, "I only wish Daphne was around to say hello, but for her safety we sent her to Rawalpindi to be with her aunt, especially with Merrick being around. And how is Andy?"

Prue looked slightly stricken for a moment before Lady Chatterjee apologized, "I am sorry for your loss, and from your look it seems as though it was recent. Allow me to invite the pair of you over for some tea..."

The three walked back to Lady Chatterjee's estate to enjoy some wonderful finger foods and tea. Lady Chatterjee commanded a servant to put a record in, playing the song Lili Marlene.

"_Underneath the lantern, by the barrack gate. Darling I remember the way you used to wait..." _the song began.

Godfrey took a sideways glance at Prue, before speaking, "I remember that we used to turn into Radio Belgrade while we were into North Africa at 9:55 PM every night to hear this song. The Germans there played it as their sign off song, nightly."

"'_Twas there that you whispered tenderly. That you loved me. You'd always be. My Lili of the Lamplight. My own Lili Marlene._" Vera Lynn's recorded voice continued to sing.

"I remember studying that." Prue replied, "In college. I remember it was a German song originally, but British soldiers used to hear it on shortwave radios all over North Africa and on both sides men listened to Radio Belgrade..."

"I keep forgetting that a lot of what happens now is somewhat ancient history on your world." Godfrey replied, "Minus the Heartless of course."

"_Time would come for roll call. Time for us to part. Darling I caress you and press you to my heart. And there 'neath that far off lantern light, I'd hold you tight, we'd kiss goodnight. My Lili of the Lamplight. My own Lili Marlene._"

Godfrey couldn't help but smile. In a lot of ways the song made him think of Prue. It was on the air a lot, on both sides of the war. Especially in recent days the song would always bring Prue into his mind.

"_Orders came for sailing, somewhere over there. All confined to barracks 'twas more than I could bear. I knew you were waiting in the street. I heard your feet, but could not meet. My Lili of the Lamplight. My own Lili Marlene._"

Lady Chatterjee couldn't help but notice, and it made her smile. It was obvious Godfrey had more than friendly feelings toward Prue. And Prue, she could tell, at least had some sort of feelings growing regarding Godfrey.

Prue shifted her position on the couch, her left arm brushing against Godfrey's right. She felt him gently clasp her hand and then gently withdraw the gesture.

_Are you blind? _Lady Chatterjee thought, _You can see he cares for you._

Prue blinked, having felt the gentle but firm squeeze. _Could it really be? Does he really feel that way? _Prue ran through her thoughts. The signs were there. Hugs that lasted a fraction of a second longer, touches that lingered just a tad bit too long. _I'm not ready yet...I just lost Andy...but he's been there as a friend...I don't want to ruin that...you can't go back...But it just felt so good to just be with him..._

Godfrey sensed Prue's confusion and felt a stab of pain and a twinge of jealousy. _Why can't I be good enough for you? I've been there for you all this time..._Godfrey felt ashamed. _Wanker. You can see she's suffering. Let her mourn for a while and she may come around soon. _

"_Resting in a billet, just behind the line. Even though we're parted, your lips are closed to mine. You wait where that lantern softly gleams, your sweet face seems to haunt my dreams, My Lili of the Lamplight. My own Lili Marlene." _

Prue could feel her own conflicting emotions. _I don't want to push him away. Yet if I do I could be letting something potentially great go. It's obvious he cares..._

Prue got up to use to the restroom leaving Godfrey and Lady Chatterjee in the room. "How do you feel about her, Mr. Godfrey?"

"We've become quite close friends in the time we've known each other." Godfrey replied. _Good bloody question..._

"I can see you think of her as more than a friend." Lady Chatterjee replied.

_Damn, still can read me like a book. _Godfrey replied, "That may be. But she's in no state for anything like that. And soon she won't need me to comfort her anymore."

"But she may need you for something else." Lady Chatterjee said, with a mischievious wink.

"Just what do you mean?" Godfrey demanded.

"You know what I mean." Lady Chatterjee said, winking again just as Prue walked into the room.

_No use beating round the bush. I'm in love with Prue. _Godfrey thought.

_---_

Kolopak was currently talking to Captain Flanders, Mirbat Guides, trying to arrange for the transport of much needed supplies for the Australian Independent Company in exchange for fuel. The two men were sitting in the local club.

"Yes old boy, I understand you're in need of some repairs and supplies, but what are you willing to offer?" Flanders began.

Kolopak inwardly missed the days when he had to deal with Major Waverly directly. At least the old Brit didn't start jerking him around. His aide, however, was a different matter.

"I understand that the Aussies in Timor are in need of supplies. Quite a lot of supplies, I'm told got bottled up in India." Kolopak replied.

"This is true." Flanders replied, "But the last two transport planes we've sent to Timor have been shot down."

"My airship should be able to slip past the Japanese air patrols." Kolopak replied.

"And what are your needs?" Flanders asked, in a bored tone.

Kolopak slid him a list. "I shall have to talk to my superiors about all this." Flanders said as he calmly left the club.

Kolopak ordered a shot of brandy as he waited for the results.

_---_

Five Australian soldiers lay hidden in the thick jungle brush. 1st Lieutenant Anthony Charles Brumby looked right, and then looked left before switching the safety catch on his Owen Mark I sub machinegun. The Japanese patrol of ten soldiers had just returned from the frontlines, and were not on their guard.

Brumby took aim at the nearest Japanese soldier before opening fire with his Owen. The Bren gun in the section opened up, sending .303 caliber rounds into the Japanese soldiers. Tracers lit up the night, smacking into torsos, heads and limbs. The Australian soldiers of the 2nd Independent Company, a raiding unit operating behind Japanese lines, opened up on the enemy patrol, shredding them with automatic fire and grenades.

---

Lieutenant Bummun Saito watched angrily as Australian bullets tore into a troop of his men. "Not now Lieutenant..." the mysterious hooded figure began.

"Those damned Australians have just destroyed my men..." Saito began angrily, "For months now they've been melting from the jungles, refusing to stand and fight and you're telling me to hold my ground!"

"Their deaths will be avenged in time...wait until the opportune moment to send the demons of the chest upon their pursuers."

Saito waited for a few heartbeats before opening the chest and an unholy wind blew through the jungle as thirteen of the most terrifying ghosts were again released onto the face of the earth.

---

"Cease fire! Cease fire!" Brumby shouted, as the Australians hurriedly departed the scene, leaving nothing of the Japanese patrol but a band of dead or dying men.

Since their arrival on Timor eight months ago, 2/2nd Independent Company had been diverting substantial Japanese and Heartless assets in hunting them down. Aided by native guides, who loathed the Japanese, the Australians had attacked Japanese troops in supposed 'safe' areas, destroyed supplies, blew up bridges and spread havoc and malice to the rear.

Brumby ran, heading for the rendezvous point, the rest of the squad either in front of or behind him. He deliberately made sure the men were making as circuitous a route back to base as possible in order to confuse Japanese trackers.

A sudden gust of wind followed by a scream echoed through the jungle.

"What the hell?" Corporal 'Bonk' Lazenby said.

Brumby already turned around, cursing. Had the Japanese decided it was worth a squad to track down his five men?

Bonk ran behind him, cursing loudly, breaking through the foliage, silently hoping for the three men behind them to hold out just a bit longer.

Brumby reached the area first, being faster. Butchering his three troops was a being in black robes, with glowing yellow eyes, yellowish white wild hair and cattle-like horns. Not knowing what it was, but knowing it was hostile, Brumby raised his weapon and fired off a single magazine into the creature. Howard lay face down, the back of his skull split open by some sort of club or cudgel, Baselton lay on his back, torn from sternum to crotch by a rusted old blade, and Dobbs was still feebly dragging himself away from his pursuers when a Japanese soldier ran up to him and spitted him on a bayonet. Brumby donated him a hand grenade which exploded at his feet.

Bonk joined, firing rounds from his rifle. The demon reacted to the bullets as if they were little more than spitwads and simply pointed at the two men, sending them flying towards a roaring river.

---

Several hours later, Captain Joseph Atwood, the leader of the one hundred and twenty-seven Australian commandoes, watched as Lieutenant Brumby and Corporal Lazenby staggered back into camp.

"Where are Howard, Baselton and Dobbs?" Atwood said.

"They're all dead sir." Brumby said, half out of breath, "The Japanese had something, somewhere, lying in wait for us."

"Some form of Heartless, sir." Brumby replied, "And whatever it was, it was invulnerable to bullets. It took out the Bren gunners without so much as a breath."

"There's no way that it could be invulnerable to bullets..." Atwood said.

"I'm afraid, good sir, that what you're dealing with isn't some new form of Heartless." a monocle wearing, mustachioed Englishman walked into the clearing.

"Who the devil are you?" Atwood asked. A dozen weapons from the Australian encampment were suddenly pointed at Nigel.

"Let's say I am a friend and leave it at that, shall we?" Nigel replied, "But I'm here to warn you that you all are in terrible danger. It seems that an over ambitious gentleman on the Japanese side has been given control of a rather awesome power...The one that nearly killed off all of Mr. Brumby's patrol, if I'm not mistaken..."

"How big of a threat are they?" Atwood asked.

"Why, Mr. Atwood, they are not just a threat to your 2nd Independent Company or just to Australia, or even the British Empire you ultimately serve. They threaten all life on this world..." Nigel replied, "But, I think I may have a solution to your problem, for even now, an independent airship, the _Morrowind, _is enroute."

"_Morrowind..._wait a minute, commanded by that Kolopak chap, right?" Brumby asked, "The ones who recently took out Imhotep?"

"The one and only." Nigel replied.

"So is this new threat a response to Imhotep's demise?" Atwood asked.

"You could say that. Imhotep's demise set the Heartless and their Axis lackeys back rather nastily, and the Chest of Demons provided to them by an unknown source is what they used." Nigel replied.

"Chest of Demons?" Brumby asked.

"Long ago the world's strongest sorcerers imprisoned thirteen of the most terrifying ghosts of the Earth in a mysterious chest. Whosoever opens this chest will release them to plague whatever world they happen upon. Heartless merely act on instinct, these demons act out of sheer malevolence." Nigel replied.

"What do you need from us?" Atwood asked.

"One of your number to assist the _Morrowind_ when it arrives." Nigel replied.

"Sir..." Brumby replied.

"Brumby, you're going with them." Atwood replied, "You too Lazenby."

"Expect the _Morrowind _to land in the jungle clearing north of your position." Nigel replied, before disappearing back into the jungle.

Brumby wandered alone, after all was said and done. He checked his weapon, making sure the action was clean and that he had a magazine inserted. It wasn't uncommon for the occasional Japanese scout or Search Ghost Heartless to get too close to the camp. Anyway, Atwood was preparing to move the camp in the next couple of days, keeping his operation as mobile as possible to confuse Japanese intelligence.

Brumby wandered, alone, through the camp, nodding acknowledgments to the occasional soldier who he passed. It was solitude he sought. _What is it they said back in garrison, the other bloody wankers that are my fellow officers? Anthony Brumby, he who_ _wears his heart on his sleeve, or at least inside his map case. _He reached inside the map case and silently extracted an old, worn notebook. He had been scratching thoughts and words in it for years, since leaving the university at nineteen to live the free life of the rover. He wandered the countryside, from place to place, alone, thinking in his own self-educated way.

Small journal entries and poems filled the books, small poems of freedom, beauty, truth, and love. He smiled at his own works from before the war, from before the training camp. He read his latest ones, which were darker and more despairing. They displayed his own fears.

_Always at night._

_Sudden ambush. Firefight. _

_Artillery barrage. Fright. _

_Screaming men, wounded men. _

_No mercy from enemy, again. _

_Killing their killers, revenge sated. _

_Like wheat before millers, are we slated..._

_- Anthony C. Brumby _

Brumby harbored no illusions about this campaign. Anyone unfortunate enough to be captured by the Japanese would at best be scheduled for a quick execution by the sword. He knew few things. One he was no coward and two the last bullet was for himself..._Will I have courage to pull the trigger on myself? _Brumby thought as he leafed to another poem.

_I feel her at night. _

_Amidst fire and fright._

_Amazed I can feel._

_Odd that she is not real. _

_Lovely, caring, she I imagine to hold..._

_Amidst war, to dream love is to be so bold..._

_For I may die soon. _

_Under scorching sun or full moon. _

_War's scourge so deep, I always feel it._

_Is she whom I dream some spirit?_

_- Anthony C. Brumby_

Brumby closed the notebook hurriedly. Best not to dwell too deeply on the tender aspects in the middle of a savage jungle war. But it was a sobering thought that he might never return to enjoy the things he so greatly treasured and to miss the one thing he wanted, that he might never meet the sort of woman that he could love and would love him in return. But he had a war to fight, and a country to defend. He feared, however, he wouldn't live long enough to see it again.

---

Daphne Blake sipped at a cup of coffee as she sat down to breakfast. Fred had woken earlier to cook that morning. She gave her husband a quick kiss as she walked over to the stove. Fred returned the kiss and smiled at his wife.

Lauren Shannon Callahan, Daphne's niece walked into the kitchen just then. Described by her peers as, 'the most adorable redhead on campus' with her slender and willowy physique and enchanting green eyes that indicated her Irish descent. Her friendly face helped with that impression as well.

"Hey, how's the future Patch Adams?" Fred asked as he finished cooking another couple pancakes.

"Fine, Uncle Fred." Lauren replied, stifling a yawn, "The time difference between Chicago and Denver is a bit of getting used to, but it's nice to visit you guys and see Mom and Dad before medical school."

"I didn't know medical students had to read poetry?" Daphne remarked, indicating a volume of poetry that Lauren had left on the kitchen counter after catching the redeye flight last night.

"Actually, Aunt Daphne, that's for my own reading." Lauren replied.

"World War I trench poets?" Daphne replied, "Kind of grim..."

"They are. And it's really kind of sad that a lot of those guys were so educated, so full of hopes and dreams and that war just took them all away." Lauren replied, "And these little poems are all we have left of them."

"Kind of a bad topic for breakfast, don't you think?" Fred asked.

"I know." Lauren replied.

"Dada..." Abi, Daphne and Fred's eleven month old daughter gurgled from her baby seat.

"Aww...how's my favorite little niece." Lauren said, picking her up.

The baby gurgled at Lauren, rasing her arms, "Up up..."

"She's getting heavy..." Fred warned.

"She's still adorable." Lauren replied, as she lifted the little girl who cooed and gurgled after a squeak of delight.

Just then a mustachioed man walked into the room, wearing a sorcerer's robes and carrying a staff. "Aunt Daphne? Who's that?" Lauren asked.

"That's Vincent Van Ghoul." Daphne replied, "Remember those adventures we had back in the '80s that I mentioned?"

"Yeah." Lauren said.

"I remember now." Fred replied, holding Abi in his arms, "The time you, Shaggy, Scrappy, and Scooby disappeared for a year, and picked up that kid, Flim Flam?"

"What's going on?" Daphne asked, already dreading the answer.

"The Chest of Demons was stolen, by a mysterious party." Van Ghoul replied.

"Where is it?" Daphne asked.

A shower of orbs appeared just then, "I'm afraid not on your world any longer." Nigel began.

"Who? What?" Lauren asked.

"Sorry, I am Nigel, a Whitelighter..." Nigel began.

"Wait a tiff!" Fred began, holding his baby daughter against him, "You're not expecting us to just uproot ourselves from our lives and go after this chest."

"Well, yes, I am." Nigel replied, "And, old boy, there may not be much of a world left if you don't find this chest."

"Wait, Vincent." Daphne began, "Not all of us can just get up and chase ghosts. We're not teenagers anymore. We have lives, families..."

"That's why only a few of you will go. Shaggy, Scooby, Flim Flam, and Scrappy are already coming along."

"No, I'm not letting you take my wife from me!" Freddy replied defensively, "Take me instead..."

"Fred..." Daphne said, "Are you implying I can't handle it myself."

"No, honey," Fred said, "I'm just worried..."

"And you wouldn't think I'd worry if you volunteered for the same mission?" Daphne asked.

"Someone has to stay home." Fred countered.

"And both of us are equally qualified." Daphne replied.

"I'll go." Lauren replied.

"Absolutely not!" Fred replied, "I'm not letting you risk your life on some suicide mission."

"Freddie, if we don't stop the 13 Ghosts, all life is in danger." Daphne said.

"I can't lose you..." Fred replied.

"You'll lose everything, Mr. Jones, if the Spirits run free..." Nigel replied.

"Honey..." Daphne said, "I'll go..."

"I..." Fred replied.

"You're our best hope. If anything goes wrong..." Daphne said.

"It won't...you'll succeed Daphne, I know you, I have faith." Fred replied as he threw his arms around his wife.

Daphne sadly kissed Fred and her baby girl and she and Lauren were teleported to another world in a shower of orbs and soft holy essences.

---

"Mystery Group, this is Anthony Brumby, Australian Special Forces..." Nigel began, indicating a wiry Australian soldier with a machine pistol on a sling tucked under one arm wearing olive green jungle fatigues, "He's here to lend you a hand with your mission to track down the 13 Ghosts."

Brumby looked over the group. An older red haired woman who acted like she was the group's leader, a Chinese teenager, a couple Great Danes, a wiry brown haired bugger, and a younger redhead. The last he gave a second look to. Certainly was a lovely young lass, what the hell was she doing mixed up in all this?

Lauren noticed the Australian soldier's sideways glance. _Not really my type. _Lauren thought. _Definitely on the good looking side though..._Lauren thought.

"Do you know what you're dealing with, Mr. Brumby?" Daphne asked.

"Look, Sheila, the buggers wiped out three of my troopers two nights ago, so of course I know what I'm dealing with. And I want revenge." Brumby replied, coldly.

"The name's not Sheila, it's Daphne."

"Sheila's what we call girls in Australia." Brumby replied.

"Listen you..." Daphne began, "If I hear one more sexist..."

"I think the enemy's out there, not me." Brumby replied.

"He's right, aunt Daphne." Lauren began.

"You're making yourself sound like an enemy...you insult Daphne one more time..." Scrappy began.

"You'll what, mate, tear up me trouser leg..." Brumby growled back.

"You got a lot of nerve." Scrappy began, putting up his little fists.

"Try it puppy dog, I'll kick you a few leagues in the other direction." Brumby replied.

"Boys, boys." Lauren began, "It looks like you two got started on the wrong foot."

"What's the matter? Is that why three of your men were killed, because you couldn't fight..." Scrappy began.

"Rappy!" Scooby Doo began.

That did it. Brumby's foot went flying, connecting solidly with Scrappy's midsection. Stunned, the pup staggered back a few paces before grabbing in with paws and teeth to Brumby's trouser leg, tearing at the tough leather of his boot.

"Rrr..." Scrappy growled as he tore at Brumby's leg.

"Off!" Brumby shouted, raising his other foot before Lauren managed to pry Scrappy away.

"Both of you quit fighting!" Daphne shouted, "We're all going to have to work with each other, even if Mr. Brumby is a little rude."

"If you could control your little whelp, I'd appreciate it." Brumby replied.

"Whelp? Whelp!? I'll show you whelp! Let me at him! Let me at him!" Scrappy shouted.

"Just in time, some more help for you." Nigel replied, as if the fight hadn't even transpired.

Coming from the other side of the clearing, from some kind of airship was another group of people, they included a Native American man wearing brown trousers, a white shirt, brown vest and a fedora, a dark haired woman, and an officer in the uniform of the British army. In the background a group of Australian soldiers were unloading supplies from the _Morrowind_.

Nigel said, "Ah, you're just in time Kolopak."

"Kolopak?" Daphne asked.

"He's the captain of the _Morrowind, _it's an independent airship that travels throughout the war torn worlds." Nigel replied.

"Worlds?" Daphne asked.

"Like what have we stumbled into this time? It's like we're in a timewarp..." Shaggy began.

"You could say that." Nigel replied, "In this world, World War II is still raging, against the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy and Japan, also aligned with the Heartless."

"Lieutenant Anthony Brumby, 2nd Independent Company." Brumby began, extending a hand, which the other British officer took.

"Lieutenant Alan Godfrey, His Majesty's Royal Indian Engineers." Godfrey replied, "So you'll be helping us out in this theater then?"

"Yes." Brumby said, "I've been fighting the Japanese and their Heartless allies since 1941."

"I've had some experience fighting them at EPCOT and at Mayapore." Godfrey replied as the group off loaded badly needed supplies from the _Morrowind _to the Australian soldiers fighting on the ground.

As Godfrey and the other crew boarded the airship, Brumby couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt, of leaving his mates behind to fight a savage and unknown foe.

---

As the Morrowind took off, Brumby went off to the small bunk that was his. As much as he tried he couldn't get the adorable, willowy redhead he'd seen earlier. She appeared to him like a figment out of one of his poems. Lauren seemed like a nice sort of girl, a bit out of place in the middle of a mass crusade against the Heartless...

Sleep seemed like it wasn't likely to come, so he headed out, simply wandering about the corridors before settling into the recreation room. He was looking through the shelves when he saw her out of the corner of one eye.

"I see someone else is burning the midnight oil." Brumby began, with a smirk.

"Oh." Lauren said, "You surprised me."

"Listen," Brumby said, "I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. At least as far as your friend Scrappy was concerned."

"Shouldn't you apologize to him." Lauren said.

"I didn't want to wake him up." Brumby said, "But I'll do so as soon as I can."

"I'll hold you to it." Lauren replied, "What was your name again?"

"Anthony Brumby."

"Lauren Callahan."

"I'm pleased to meet you." Brumby replied, with a smile.

"So do you go by Tony or Anthony?" Lauren asked.

"Anthony. Tony makes me sound like a bloody Guinea2..." Brumby replied.

"That's racist." Lauren remarked.

"Well, we are at war with the Axis. The Germans, Italians, and Japanese chose to side with the Heartless." Brumby replied.

"Heartless?" Lauren asked.

"Mysterious blokes that seek to capture hearts of both people and worlds." Brumby said, "Says so in the all the manuals for Allied soldiers."

"So, how long has this war been going on?" Lauren asked.

"Since 1939, almost five years." Brumby replied.

"1943?" Lauren said, "I keep forgetting. On my world it's 2007."

"So strange I could well be old enough to be your grandfather." Brumby replied.

"Kind of young though." Lauren asked.

"You know what I mean." Brumby replied.

"Where are you from?" Lauren asked.

"Botany Bay, Australia." Brumby replied, "But really from all over. I wandered all over the place after I left university. Since we're swapping stories, where are you from?"

"Denver, Colorado." Lauren replied, "I'm studying to be a doctor."

"Women are doctors on your world?" Brumby asked.

"Yes." Lauren replied, aware Brumby was from another timeline.

Lauren yawned, "Listen, Brumby, sorry to cut things short, but I'm off to get some sleep."

"Right." Brumby replied as he watched her go, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

---

TBC (Next, the Morrowind crew and it's newest additions pursue the first of the Thirteen Ghosts)

1.**Lady Chatterjee was the woman who housed Prue when she first visited Mayapore in Journey of a Halliwell...**

2**Guinea - British Commonwealth slang for an Italian**


	2. Maldor

Maldor

Disclaimer: Same as before. As an aside note the Kokoda Track was an actual battle in the Second World War, fought in New Guinea between Australian and Japanese forces and prevented the capture of Port Moresby and the invasion of Australia. The battle has frequently been known as Australia's Thermopylae.

--

"How'd you sleep?" Prue asked Daphne as the two of them sat down for the breakfast.

"Not too well. Between the explosions, maniacal laughter, and the sounds of fighting…" Daphne replied.

"I'm afraid that's a nightly occurrence on the _Morrowind._" Prue replied, "Vinny is our explosives and demolition expert who's constantly experimenting with things that go boom…he also fancies himself an inventor…"

ZZZAAAPPP!!

"ZOIKS!!" Shaggy shouted from the hallway as he held a mess tray in his hands with electrical leads on it.

"Are you alright, mate?" Brumby had said after he knocked Shaggy away with a broomstick.

"Like I'm singed all over…" Shaggy said.

"Welcome to my world." Donald said, dourly as Cookie gave him his food.

"How, why is my food tray electrified?" Shaggy asked.

"Easy, Vinny loves tinkering with things all over the ship. And his experiments usually explode, inflame, or electrify…" Cookie said.

"Oh dear…" Shaggy groaned.

"VINNY!!" Kolopak roared as he chased the Italian inventor around the dining room with a club, "Come back here and get clobbered for electrifying my bath water!!"

"Is every day on this ship a visit to the Twilight Zone?" Daphne asked.

"More or less." Prue replied.

"So let me get this straight," Daphne began, "You're descended from a line of powerful witches, good witches that use magic and potions to fight demons. You and your two sisters Phoebe and Piper form the Power of Three, until you were killed almost a year ago. When you died you were reincarnated on a world where World War II is being fought, with the Axis powers being helped by heart consuming demons called the Heartless. And you have a half-sister named Paige who reconstituted the Power of Three back home. Prue Halliwell, I thought I led a strange life."

"It's more like a Charmed life, but that's close enough." Prue replied as Godfrey came in from the Transmitter/Receiver Room.

"You look terrible." Prue remarked, as the British officer lumbered over to their table with a tray of breakfast and a cup of tea.

"I just spent seven straight hours with a headset on, so Bertha could get some rest." Godfrey replied, "Listening to radio transmissions from all over the theater."

"What did you hear?" Prue asked.

"The Japanese sent another battalion to Timor…" Godfrey began.

From a nearby table, Brumby slid closer, "What was that?"

"They sent another unit into Timor, to reinforce to units already there. They're trying to chase down Australian forces in the area." Godfrey began.

"My mates are all down there." Brumby replied.

"Also the Australian army's putting up a strong fight against the Japanese in the Kokoda Track…"

"Kokoda?" Brumby asked.

"Yes." Godfrey replied,

"Where's that?" Shaggy asked.

"That's in Papua, New Guinea." Prue began, "It's a narrow trail in the Owen Stanley Mountain Range, thick malaria infested jungle."

Prue felt conflicted just then, when she saw the somewhat stricken look on Brumby's face. She wanted to tell him that on her world Kokoda was an Australian victory, but she didn't want to potentially screw with the timeline of this particular version of World War II.

"However, the Japanese advance is being slowed, not necessarily stopped." Godfrey added.

"Not if we have anything to do with it." Bertha said, bursting out of the room, "We still have some additional supplies we're to pick up at Port Moresby. Food, medical supplies, weapons and ammunition. Audrey and Milo are already plotting a course towards Port Moresby."

"Mr. Brumby, I want you and Mr. Lazeby to teach everything you can about jungle warfare on our way over there." Kolopak began.

--

"When fighting the Heartless and the Japs in the jungle, remember one thing. Noise is a killer." Brumby began.

"Sound travels far in the jungle and it's usually a noisy place. However if Heartless or Japs are anywhere the place will go dead silent. Stop, listen, and prepare for close combat." Brumby continued.

"Like how close?" Shaggy asked.

Brumby crossed the room with several strides until he was almost face to face with Shaggy. "That close." Brumby replied, "The Japs love using bayonets, rifle butts and swords at close range. Those samurai swords are no joke, they'll slice off an arm, a leg or a head as easily as a knife thru butter."

Shaggy shivered involuntarily. The very thought of his decapitated corpse being the last thing he would ever see, so the urban legend went, sent a chill up his spine.

"The best weapons to carry in all that dense brush are the sub machinegun or the shotgun. Rifles and carbines aren't always good for close in work, but if you're carrying one, stick a bayonet on it." Brumby continued, "I don't care if you're a dead on shot with a rifle. Be prepared for close combat."

"We're approaching Port Moresby." came the announcement over the PA system, "Prepare for landing..."

The ship landed and the crew began to take care of various tasks. Audrey was giving the engines another go-around while Prue and Kida checked the flight systems. Brumby was talking to a large, muscular Australian built like a rugby prop.

Kolopak and Daphne approached Brumby and the massive Australian officer.

"Are you the captain of the _Morrowind_?" The Australian asked. Kolopak nodded. "Right, I'm Major Carraway, 53rd Battalion."

"Any intelligence on strange creatures on the Kokoda Track?" Kolopak asked.

"Some wounded lads from 39th Battalion said they saw a strange bloke with glowing eyes and horns six days ago."

"Maldor." Daphne replied.

"Who?" Carraway asked.

"The demon." Daphne replied.

"You got your information, Kolopak, and I must ask a favor." Carraway replied.

"What is it?" Kolopak asked.

"Some lads from 39th Battalion are holed up at Brigade Hill, north of here. It's one of our few remaining defensive positions before the Japs and Heartless take Port Moresby." Carraway replied, "I have ammunition, food, and medical supplies for their whole lot. But the Japs took the nearest airfield and we can't land aircraft to take the wounded out of there or resupply them."

"So you need me to land and evacuate them." Kolopak said, "I understand."

Kolopak headed for the remaining crew who were performing various post and pre-flight checks. "We have a force of Australian soldiers that need our help, as well as a lead on the first of the Demons. Let's get these supplies aboard, we leave after sunset." Kolopak began.

--

It was just after sunset that the _Morrowind _touched down outside the Australian defensive perimeter.

The crew disembarked having taken no more than two steps before they came under fire.

Shaggy dived behind the nearest rock, Lauren behind him as bullets skipped off the large stone.

"Those are British .303 Enfield rifles." Godfrey shouted, "Hold your fire! I'm Lieutenant Alan Godfrey, Royal Indian Engineers!"

"You heard him, cease fire damn it!" came the voice.

The shaken, nervous group headed for the Australian position in time to see an officer dressing down two Australian soldiers.

"Who told you to open fire?" The officer shouted.

"I saw movement, I thought they were Japs."

"They look like Japs to you? I told you to hold your fire, that an Independent Airship was coming in with supplies." The officer replied, before turning towards Kolopak, "Sorry, a little breakdown in communication."

"No harm was done." Kolopak replied, "Who's in command?"

"I am, Major Owen Willard, 39th Militia Battalion."

"Kolopak." Kolopak replied, and then added, "Where do you want the supplies?"

"Nagl can show you." Willard replied, indicating one of the two soldiers, a dark haired, wiry fellow with clear blue eyes. His ragged uniform hung off his slim frame.

"Yeah, supplies, that's great! Whatever it takes me to get off this rock!" Nagl replied.

"Take it easy Nagl." the other soldier, Rifleman Hallam, who had fired on the _Morrowind _crew replied.

"Take it easy. Oh I'd love to 'take it easy'. Get me out of this hellhole and I promise you the rest of my life I'll at least take it easy." Nagl said, "According to Australian Army regulations we're supposed to be rotated off the front lines after ninety days. Ninety days!? We've been stuck in this hellhole for five months Captain..."

"Take it easy..." Nagl spat back at Hallam who eyed him impassively.

"Welcome to paradise." Willard replied sardonically.

"Relief efforts are underway to stabilize the line and drive the Japanese back." Kolopak replied.

"I know, but perhaps Allied command isn't aware of our situation. We've been fighting steadily along the track for five months, that's five months of repulsing repeated Japanese and Heartless assaults. When the battalion first landed I had 409 troops. We're down to forty-seven." Willard replied.

"I appreciate that you've been through all this." Kolopak said, "But the Allies are spread rather thin through New Guinea. Looks like you may be here a while longer."

--

"Hey, can I help?" Lauren said as she approached Doc.

"Sure," the massive African American replied, knowing Lauren was a medical student, "Ain't no better teacher than experience. Be sure to check for infection..."

Lauren set about helping the battalion surgeon looking among the wounded Australian soldiers.

"This should take care of the fever and chest congestions..." Doc said as he gave Nagl a couple pills, "These Anti-Malarials should prevent further sickness."

"Better?" Doc asked.

"Ugh, are you kidding? I haven't felt this good since the day I landed on this hellhole..." Nagl replied.

Doc noticed a blood stained bandage on Nagl's arm. "Good, now I need to look at this arm..."

Nagl grabbed Doc and pointed a knife under his chin, "What the hell are you doing, mate?"

"I need to treat your wound." Doc began.

"Nobody touches this bandage, is that understood?" Nagl asked.

"I need to treat your wound." Doc replied.

"I asked you if you understood?" Nagl said, angrily.

"Yes." Doc replied.

"Scott put this bandage on me. He ripped up his own uniform to make it." Nagl replied.

"He sounds like a good friend." Doc replied.

"He was a jerk. I couldn't stand the man! He acted like he was bloody superior to everyone…" Nagl began, "I know, he's dead and I should have more respect, but God I hated him! One minute he's tying this bandage around my arm being so condescending…and the next he's lying flat on his back with half his head missing! And I just sat there and he looked at him…He was quiet! For once in his life he wasn't a fucking asshole!!"

"I still need to treat your wound." Doc said.

As Nagl undid the bandage, Doc could see him start to sob quietly.

--

"It sounds like you've set up a solid defensive perimeter." Kolopak said as he spoke to Willard, "But this flank could be tightened..."

"Can I have a minute?" Doc said.

Kolopak nodded and Willard walked off to inspect his positions. "These people's physical and mental health is precarious at best. They need more than rations, ammo, and medical supplies, they need to be shipped out of here."

"I'm aware of that." Kolopak said, thumbing the sling of his 1903 Springfield rifle, "but there's nothing I can do."

Godfrey headed over Kolopak and Willard, "I'm not so sure they can hold off another Japanese attack."

"Look at them...look and see." Doc said.

An Australian private walked by, eyes sunken with bags underneath them, a cigarette hung loosely from his lips ringed by a two day beard growth and his torn fatigues hung from his gaunt frame.

"It seems like you've got a solid position set up, despite the manning issues." Kolopak said.

"We'll manage." Willard replied.

"And they don't know how many men you have left, or what your defensive positions are." Willard added.

"Here they come!" came a shout from the perimeter followed by rifle shots.

Godfrey ducked behind a supply crate and started firing his M1 Carbine, knocking down a Japanese soldier charging into the perimter.

All around the perimeter guns fired, knocking Japs and Heartless down in hails of bullets. Hallam fired his .303 rifle over the stack of empty crates stuffed with sandbags he'd been hiding behind. He'd tarried on the wall a bit too long, long enough for a Japanese soldier to shoot him.

"Something's wrong...they're not firing!" Hallam shouted.

"Hold your fire!" Willard shouted. The shout echoed up and down the line.

Instantly the Japanese and Heartless vanished from sight.

"Where'd they go!?" Nagl demanded.

"They weren't here to begin with." Kolopak replied.

"Magic." Prue replied.

"It was a way for them to see what they were up against. Determine our numbers." Willard shouted.

"And pinpoint our positions." Godfrey replied.

"Without risking casualties. Smart." Lieutenant Larkin, a soldier with the 53rd Militia Battalion, added.

"Oh yeah they're smart alright, and we're as good as dead!" Nagl shouted.

"Not yet we aren't." Willard replied.

"Is it over?" Lauren shouted from the nearby infirmary.

"For now." Kolopak added, "But the next time they won't send illusions."

The sound of distant explosions could be heard as a battery from the Australian 1st Artillery was dueling with a Japanese battery.

"When your time's up your time's up..." Nagl continued.

"Don't waste your breath, Nagl, it's not Kolopak's problem. He's leaving..." Hallam said.

--

Godfrey headed for Kolopak, "Can I have a moment?"

Kolopak nodded, "I take it the supply offload is pretty much complete."

"Yes." Godfrey replied.

"But that's not what you're concerned about, is it?"

"Right." Godfrey replied and began, "These soldiers' physical and mental health is precarious, at best. They need more than food, ammo, and medical supplies. They need to be relieved."

"I understand, but remember, the Allies are spread out all over this area." Kolopak replied.

"Can we at least help them, render assistance?" Godfrey asked.

"We have bigger fish to fry." Kolopak replied.

"Understood." Godfrey replied, visibly upset, "But can we at least render some aid?"

"We have our orders. The 13 Ghosts need to be recaptured." Kolopak said.

--

"Hey Godfrey..." Daphne said, "Kolopak's called everyone together."

Godfrey stood down from the parapet as a weary looking Australian soldier relieved him on the perimeter.

"Right." Godfrey replied.

"We need to move on Maldor, but to do so we need to split up." Kolopak said, "I've split us up into two teams. One to chase Maldor, and the other to help Major Willard's troops here and guarding the ship."

"Those staying here are Doc, myself, Lauren, D'Artagnan, Mole, Milo, Bertha, Cookie, and Scrappy."

"What!? Why am I being left behind!?" Scrappy protested, "I'm a good fighter."

Brumby snorted derisively.

"We need good fighters here as well as to chase Maldor." Kolopak said.

"But I've faced Maldor before!" Scrappy continued.

"So have Scooby, Daphne, Shaggy, and Flim Flam." Kolopak replied, and motioned Scrappy aside, "Listen, Lauren's the least experienced in fighting anything, she's a medical student, a healer not a fighter. I need someone to look after her, someone she knows and trusts...I'll deal with you and Brumby's spat later..."

Scrappy complied, but grumbled to himself the whole time.

"The group going after Maldor is Prue, Brumby, Flim Flam, Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby, Vinny, Sora, Kida, Donald and Goofy." Kolopak said, "You guys are following the Australian 53rd Militia Battalion, they're attacking the area where Maldor was last seen."

"When do we leave?" Daphne asked.

"Right now." Kolopak said, indicating a formation of thirty-four Australian soldiers on the march.

--

"You seem worried." Doc said as he stood by Godfrey.

"Just a bit." Godfrey confessed.

"Prue?" Doc asked.

"I know, she's a Charmed One and can look after herself. And I've seen her do it countless times, but now I do worry." Godfrey replied.

"It's probably because of how you feel about her." Doc said, "I can tell you two have been getting pretty close."

"I'd best get back to getting that position on the western perimeter edge fixed up." Godfrey replied.

--

"Ambush!" Came the shout. The Australian soldier who shouted it was promptly plastered with holes from a dozen Japanese rifles.

From out of the jungle came a force of Japanese soldiers, together with several Heartless.

1st Lt. Elby Larkin had his Webley revolver out, he shot a Japanese soldier that charged the column dead.

"Fall back! Regroup at the stream bed!"

A Soldier Heartless jumped onto a fleeing Shaggy's back and Larkin shot it in the center of the face with his revolver.

Gunfire came in a barrage as Shaggy stumbled over a root, his face striking a rock, smashing his nose. He tasted blood as he felt a strong arm haul him to his feet.

He heard a sub machinegun going off just then as Brumby blazed away with most of the magazine from his Owen gun, hitting the Japanese soldier that grabbed Shaggy with a barrage of fire.

Warrant Officer Pieters dropped to one knee, working the bolt of his rifle and firing. A Neoshadow fell backwards, most of its head missing.

"Fall - GACHH!" Larkin shouted as a Japanese soldier ran him through from behind with a bayonet. Seven more Japanese soldiers ganged up and started stabbing him repeatedly.

Brumby flung a grenade at them and the group fled. Daphne stumbled and Brumby hauled her to her feet.

Just as he did so, two Japanese soldiers grabbed Shaggy and a third grabbed Scooby. "Guys!!" Daphne screamed helplessly.

"Run, damn it!" Brumby shouted as they raced away. Daphne watched, helpless as the Japanese dragged Shaggy and Scooby away.

--

Some time later: "Now what do we do?" Flim Flam said.

"We get the hell out of here, mate." A soldier said.

"The hell we are! The Japanese have Shaggy and Scooby! We've got to help them." Daphne said.

"To hell with that. They're probably already dead!" another soldier said.

"You don't know that!" Daphne shouted, tears in her eyes.

"I've seen how Japs treat their prisoners mate." Brumby replied, "And it's none too well."

"Bodies stripped bare, mutilated, dismembered…we've seen it all." Bonk added.

"That means we have to hurry!" Daphne said, all sorts of terrible thoughts running through her head, images of Shaggy and Scooby's corpses rotting in some shallow grave in this malaria infested jungle from another dimension.

"There could still be time." Prue replied.

"It's not our mission." Brumby replied, "We're here to get Maldor and those other Thirteen Ghosts."

An Australian soldier came running through the bushes, almost completely out of breath. "Oi, Pieters survived…" one soldier said.

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Hal Pieters ran over. "Any more following you?" Brumby asked.

"There were three others, but we got jumped on our way over here." Pieters replied.

"By Heartless?" Brumby asked.

"No, by something else…I don't know, they were basically weasels, but larger, and armed with rifles. Damndest thing…" Pieters replied and then shouted, "Watch out!"

Three Weasel Soldiers came charging through the brush. Pieters fired his rifle, splitting one creature's head open and was frantically working the bolt to shoot again. Brumby blazed away with half a magazine from his Owen gun and D'Artagnan let the third have it with a burst from his M-1 Thompson.

"What are those things?" Pieters demanded, poking the creature's corpse with his bayonet.

"A sign that Maldor's not far off." Flim Flam said, "Those mutant weasel soldiers are like his personal guard."

"Right, where did they come from?" Brumby asked, pulling his map.

"They attacked us just outside the creekbed, about half a mile from where Shaggy and Scooby were captured." Pieters replied.

"That means that Maldor's got a hold of them for interrogation." Daphne replied and turned to Brumby, "And that means that we can rescue them and capture Maldor at the same time!"

"Right…let's take stock of what we have available, I'll go take a small group to reconnoiter that Jap encampment and we'll hit it in an hour…" Brumby replied.

"I'll get the lads squared away and we'll hit the place." Pieters replied.

--

Shaggy couldn't look outside of the cave where he and Scooby were thoroughly trussed up like Thanksgiving turkeys. There were at least a dozen ragged looking and emaciated looking Japanese soldiers eying them hungrily.

Only the one with the sword at his hip with several stronger looking soldiers kept them at bay at his. He couldn't imagine why the Japanese soldiers were dragging the corpse of a dead Australian soldier with them until about five minutes ago, when the starved Japanese soldiers started cutting chunks of meat out of it, roasting it over a fire.

"You are lucky that you are wanted alive." Bummun Saito, the sword wielding soldier said, "Otherwise you would have been next in line for dinner. And they have been known to do that to live prisoners."

Shaggy felt ice cold dread course through his system. But if whoever this guy's boss was wanted him and Scooby alive, that meant that things might not be as bad.

Hien nodded and six Imperial Japanese Marines grabbed Shaggy and Scooby and started to cart them away. As they did so, Shaggy could hear gunfire.

--

The Japanese defenders were starting to fall back as the detachment from the Australian 53rd Militia Battalion charged into the fight. They had been hit by surprise, in the middle of dinner, the Australians had suddenly appeared from out of the jungle, guided by natives (who hated the Japanese with a vengeance for bringing the Heartless to their villages).

"Mother of God!" an Australian soldier remarked.

Another appalled soldier stood behind him. In front of the two men were the smoldering remains of a camp fire and the corpse of Lieutenant Larkin.

Pieces of Larkin had been cut away. A third soldier held what appeared to be a chunk of the dead soldier's tricep on the tip of his bayonet.

"Bloody Japs..." One soldier remarked.

Prue slipped by the crowd to head to the trees to puke. She had seen some pretty nasty things both as a witch fighting demons and spending almost a year on this alternate world, but cannibalism...it was enough to turn her stomach.

Daphne looked sickened as well. Brumby eyed the scene impassively. "The Japs are a savage lot."

The sounds of fighting could be heard close by, another element of the attack had just made contact with the Japanese soldiers the Australian patrol had scared off of its campfire.

Prue watched as several Australian soldiers advanced up a hill. Two Japanese soldiers attempted to retreat, only to be picked off by an Australian sniper who dropped to one knee near the campfire and squeezed off a shot. The first Jap's head burst like a watermelon and he tumbled down the hill, landing on his fleeing partner, pinning him underneath.

The Australian sniper slowed his breathing and squeezed off another shot, blowing the head off the second fleeing Japanese soldier.

The sounds of shooting reached a crescendo before starting to die down. Daphne and the others raced over to the other hilltop.

What they saw there were two malnourished looking, wide eyed Japanese soldiers. Surrounding them were half a dozen enraged Australian soldiers who were kicking them, striking them with rifle butts, and spitting on them.

"Cannibals! Bloody cannibals!"

"Have you no deceny!"

Picking through the crowd was Warrant Officer 2nd Class Hal Pieters. The six soldiers trained their weapons on the Japanese prisoners and Pieters nodded.

One prisoner was lead away by a soldier and as soon as the soldier and prisoner reached the treeline. As soon as they were among the trees a single shot rang out.

"Oh my God!" Daphne explained, "Aren't they..."

Pieters nodded again and two Australian soldiers manhandled the other cannibal to his feet, forcing him to stumble towards the treeline.

Daphne could see that the man's left knee was heavily bandaged, and his ragged uniform hung off his body.

"Stop it!" Daphne screamed, "They're prisoners! You can't just shoot them!"

"You saw what they did. They've been doing that to our dead and wounded boys for months." Pieters countered, "We don't take prisoners in this theater..."

Daphne watched as the prisoner fell on hands and knees. The Australian soldier behind him fired a single .303 round into the man's head.

"This isn't right!" Daphne demanded.

"Look, you see what they do. I've seen them do it to live prisoners before." Another soldier replied.

"Neither side's taken prisoners 'round here, lass." Brumby began.

"Get moving. That was only a small guard post." Pieters ordered, "Let's get on the attack."

The men of the 53rd Militia Battalion continued towards their objective, the Papuan guide indicating where he had seen Maldor's forces.

Pieters gathered the remaining platoon together, while two soldiers dug a grave to bury Lt. Larkin's remains.

"Right," Brumby asked the Papuan guide, "Have you seen this camp?"

The guide, a man of thirty wearing only a pair of cut off olive green trousers, nodded, his eyes a mixture of sadness and hatred. He had once been the chief of his village, but the Heartless destroyed it, and the Japanese had finished what the Heartless had started.

"Can he speak English?" Prue asked.

"Can't." Pieters replied, "The Japs cut his tongue out, so he wouldn't tell us of their movements…They used all able bodied men in his village as porters and loosed the Heartless on the rest. Can't say it hindered him much."

The guide knew he would lead more Australian attacks against his hated Japanese foes. He held the machete in his hands, his only weapon, the weapon he knew and trusted. With it he had split seven Japanese skulls and slit eight of their throats, and killed many of their Heartless lapdogs.

Prue looked on horrified. She had read of World War II Japanese atrocities in her history classes in college, but to actually see and experience them. Prue noticed the Australians didn't bury the Japanese soldiers they'd killed.

He drew a map into the ground with a pointed stick. "Maldor's camp is on top of our old encampment on this hill." Pieters explained.

"Most of the Japanese troops stationed there have joined in the final attack against Brigade Hill and Major Willard's Battalion…" Pieters continued.

At this everyone from the Morrowind group felt a nervous tension. All of them had friends that were about to take on a massive attack.

"How many troops?" D'Artagnan asked.

"Two columns." Pieters translated, from the Papuan's gestures.

"How are they ever gonna hold off two columns?" Bonk remarked.

"I'll go warn them." Flim Flam said. At Daphne's concerned gaze he added, "I can run fast enough, and I know the way back through the jungle…"

"But what if the Japanese…" Daphne began.

"They won't kill one of their own…" Flim Flam said, as he stripped a Japanese uniform from a corpse, "I speak enough Japanese to hold a conversation."

Daphne seemed dubious, but hoped the plan would work. "Come on Daphne, I can pull it off."

Daphne felt torn. She had already faced the prospect that Shaggy and Scooby were dead or worst, she wasn't about to add Flim Flam to the list. But she also realized Flim Flam could actually pull something like this off. She nodded, the lump tight in her throat.

"What about the two columns?" D'Artagnan asked.

"We give them something else to worry about, we take their king and put him in checkmate." Brumby replied, "And hope to God those lads from 39th Militia can hold out long enough."

"Right, sir," Pieters replied, "We'll take a break, one hour, and then we'll hit them…"

Prue looked stricken for about a second before fighting it down. Kida put a sympathetic arm on her shoulder, knowing Prue was worried about Godfrey.

"It's Alan, isn't it?" Kida whispered.

Prue silently nodded.

"He's survived combat before, we all have." Kida replied, and knowingly added, "But you two seem to have something going on, and you're worried he might not make it and that you'll never know how you really feel about one another."

"You got me." Prue replied, with a sad half-smile.

"I'm sure that everything's going to be alright…" Kida said.

"We're moving out!" Brumby began and the rest of the Morrowinders followed the men of the Australian 53rd Militia enroute to its objective.

--

"I still can't believe they left me here." Scrappy groaned, "I've faced Maldor and his men before."

"Scrappy, they need you here." Lauren replied, smiling sympathetically.

"But I'm so worried about Uncle Scooby and Shaggy and everyone else…" Scrappy replied.

"Even Brumby?" Lauren said.

"I'm not going that far." Scrappy said, "I'm just so worried about them. Last time we faced Maldor he put Daphne into the Sleep of the Centuries. And this time I can't help them…"

"Scrappy, your place is here." Lauren replied.

"Maybe your place is here, helping all these wounded guys, you being a medical student and all, but I need to help them fight those nasty Heartless and…" Scrappy began.

"Scrappy, those Japanese soldiers and Heartless could come and attack this place too." Lauren replied, "We could use your fighting prowess here too…"

Scrappy felt a little better as he walked out of the infirmary. He saw Kolopak sitting calmly on a supply crate, fedora hat with the eagle feather and the ace of spades playing card in the hat band atop his head, cleaning and lubricating his M1903 Springfield rifle and laying out bandoliers of .30-06 rounds.

"You've fought these bad guys before, right?" Scrappy asked.

Kolopak nodded, before returning to cleaning his weapon. "What's it like? War?"

"The same. Fear, anger, raw emotion. You know you must fight and kill the other man before he kills you." Kolopak said, sliding the bolt back into his rifle and aiming it at an imaginary target.

Scrappy had heard that the Aztec Indian was a dead-eye shot at the Battle of EPCOT, and that he was formidable all around fighter. He certainly looked the part as he inspected a 9mm Beretta pistol he'd taken off a dead Italian soldier during the EPCOT battle and a stone Aztec war club which hung off his belt.

There was the sound of movement in the brush and Nagl aimed his rifle at the trees. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Flim Flam screamed at the top of his lungs, just now realizing that wearing a Japanese uniform near an Australian encampment might not be a smart idea.

Flim Flam kept his hands in the air, palms open as Nagl approached him, "How do I know you're not some Jap infiltrator!"

Scrappy ran towards Nagl and bit at his leg. Nagl nearly smashed Scrappy with his rifle butt before Kolopak intervened.

"Knock it off, both of you! He is a friend." Kolopak replied.

"What's going on Flim Flam?" Scrappy asked.

"Not a smart play to dress like a Jap, mate." Hallam began.

"I kinda had no choice." Flim Flam said, "I had to slip past two columns of them to get over here."

"How are we ever gonna hold off two columns?" Nagl said.

"I'm working on it…" Kolopak said.

Meanwhile at the Infirmary Lauren pulled Doc aside, "So do you really think the Japanese will hit us?"

Doc nodded somberly. "Would they…" Lauren said, not even wanting to finish the question.

"Even though we're medical personnel? And civilians? They wouldn't care." Doc replied.

Lauren's pale Irish complexion somehow got ashen as she noticed the .45 caliber pistol at Doc's hip.

"If it comes to it, I'll protect you." Doc replied.

Lauren looked at the massive half-Indian half-African American, his calm, yet courageous demeanor and doubted that he could do just that.

"I'm sure they won't come anywhere near here." Lauren said, as she changed a dressing on the leg of another Australian soldier. _Oh God I hope that's true…What would they do to me if they came in here and didn't kill us all right away…_

--

"So, Shaggy and Scooby…I understand that your friends have the Chest of Demons and they're seeking to recapture me." Maldor said, "But perhaps I can gain some leverage from all this."

"Perhaps your friends will be willing to trade you, alive and unharmed, for the chest…" Maldor said.

Saito stood in the background and nodded to another Japanese soldier who took a blade from his side.

"But first I need information. First off, how many Australian soldiers are going to attack me?" Maldor said.

"I don't know." Shaggy said. Saito advanced with a sadists grin and a sharp blade. He slashed a small, shallow, yet painful cut on Shaggy's arm.

Shaggy winced. "An old Chinese trick…" Saito began, "I learned it from captured Triad criminals in Manchuria."

Saito's tone took on an almost scholarly air, "They called it the Death of the Thousand Cuts. Cuts would be inflicted so as to avoid major blood vessels or organs, but you would bleed and be kept alive long enough to be buried alive. It was a method to interrogate and punish traitors during the time the Triads sought to overthrow the Ming Dynasty."

Saito paused long enough to let the impact sink in, "So I suggest you provide Maldor that information he desires or that will be your fate. And then it will be up to your dog friend to talk to me. And don't play foolish, I know he can communicate more than the average dog…"

"I don't know…OW!" Shaggy said as Saito cut his finger.

"REY!!" Scooby began.

A Japanese soldier kicked Scooby in the sides, as he hung upside down by his paws on a bamboo pole. Shaggy was tied to a bamboo frame.

Scooby felt the liquid fire at his side. He let out a whimper and a yelp and Shaggy felt an ice-cold dread.

"So, are you willing to tell me this information…" Saito asked as he made another small slit, this one just below Shaggy's chest, below the right nipple.

Shaggy let out a scream just as the first blast sounded.

"What the…" Saito began.

"Sir." A Japanese soldier said, "The perimeter is being attacked…by the Australians and something else…bombs that walk on two legs…"

--

"Alright Vinny!" Prue said as Vinny released dozens of walking cherry bombs at the Japanese positions which began to explode. Coming in directly behind were the men of the Australian 53rd Militia Battalion.

Prue and the others came in alongside the Australians who were fighting against the Japanese, Heartless and Maldor's personal guard.

"Go! Get your mates!" Pieters shouted, snapping off a rifle shot that drilled down a Powerwild Heartless, "We'll hold them off here!"

Prue used her telekinesis to smash down the door of a thatch hut in time to see Bummun Saito torturing Shaggy and Scooby.

Brumby promptly opened up with his Owen gun, killing the nearest Japanese soldier. The other snapped a shot towards the group which Goofy flung his shield up to block. "Thundaga!" Donald shouted and electrified the Japanese soldier.

Saito leapt out of the window, dodging the crossfire as Maldor gestured. Heartless and several of his humanoid weasel bodyguards joined into the battle.

Outside the Australians were fighting the Japanese in a series of confused small gun battles around the defensive perimeter.

Maldor gestured with his staff and lightning coursed towards the group. "Stopaga!" Donald shouted and Maldor's attack was blunted.

Brumby switched magazines in his weapon and fired burst after burst at groups of Heartless and Weasels. Bonk stood behind him, using his rifle and bayonet in close in fights and getting off the occasional rifle shot.

Prue used her powers to throw a spiked caltrop at Maldor. The weapon was disintegrated when the demon sorcerer used his magic to obliterate it.

Daphne dodged among the fighting, avoided the occasional bullet that zipped past her head from the fighting outside.

A Weaselman tackled her from behind, trying to wrestle the Chest of Demons away. A burst of gunfire sounded, practically deafening her.

Brumby stood behind her, his Owen sub machinegun smoking.

"Thank you." Daphne said, breathlessly, as the Australian helped her to her feet.

Goofy swung his Smasher shield, braining a charging Weaselman in the head. Another approached him and Goofy sprang up, the brim of his shield smashing the creature in the throat.

Bonk speared the creature with his bayonet, adding a coup de grace attack. Prue shouted, "Goofy! Sora!"

Goofy nodded and Prue used her telekinesis to spin Goofy like a top at a high speed, using his shield as a spinning bludgeon. Sora stood behind Prue to defend her from any Heartless or Weaselman that got too close.

Goofy spun on his toes, propelled by Prue's powers and his outstretched shield arm acting like a lever. The shield smashed a Shadow Heartless in the head, splattering blood and brain matter.

Prue propelled Goofy like a shield bearing weed eater through the ranks of Maldor's bodyguard and the Heartless. Daphne followed behind Goofy with Brumby gunning down anything that got too close.

Daphne opened the Chest of Demons, sucking Maldor into the cursed box and the demonic sorcerer went in with a screeching howl.

Prue let go of Goofy and the Royal Guard staggered, "Ahyuck, I'm a bit dizzy, gawrsh…"

Goofy promptly threw up on the floor.

Brumby changed out the magazine in his weapon as he scanned for more threats. He saw none.

The Australian 53rd Battalion attack had been a success, the Japanese were fleeing into the jungle as the triumphant Australian soldiers picked them off one by one.

--

Miles away, the Australian soldiers of the 39th Militia Battalion and the Morrowinders put themselves into their defensive positions.

"Ammo." Hallam said as he kept low and put several bandoliers of .303 magazines near Nagl's position.

"Did you hear that?" Nagl asked.

"Relax. They get here, you'll know it." Hallam replied, laying some .30 caliber carbine magazine near Godfrey's position.

Godfrey began to quickly field strip and check his M1 Carbine and .38 revolver to make sure they were clean and ready to go.

"I can see you've done that before." Nagl remarked.

"On a few occasions." Godfrey said, with a shrug.

"You're not really with His Majesty's Indian Engineers, are you? You sound like those SOE types." Nagl remarked.

"I can neither confirm or deny." Godfrey replied.

Meanwhile at Kolopak's position, Scrappy wandered over to the Aztec. "Listen can I help…"

"I want you to stay in the infirmary, look out for Lauren and Doc." Kolopak replied.

Dejected, the adolescent headed back towards the infirmary, tail between his rear legs.

Willard checked his cylinders for his Webley revolver. He spun the cylinder again and again, making a noise.

Milo and Audrey were at the ship, ready to lift off in a hurry if need be. Vinny had recently installed an invention he had seen in the American B-17 Flying Fortresses, an electronically driven chin turret with two .50 caliber machineguns, and tested it to work.

Distant rumbles sounded, growing closer and closer. It wasn't thunder, despite the overcast skies. It was the sound of mines exploding. The Japanese advance elements had hit the Australian minefield.

An eerie silence followed. "Maybe they're not coming." Nagl said, "Maybe they've turned back. Maybe we killed them all…"

There was a sound of battle cries. "Banzai! Banzai!!"

The Japanese charged into view, followed with several Heartless. "Fire!" Willard shouted.

Gunfire rattled up and down the line as the Australian soldiers engaged. Kolopak took cool, deliberate aim and squeezed off a shot. A Japanese officer waving a katana jerked backward, blood exploding from his throat with a half uttered, "Banzai!" shout.

The accurate rifle fire decimated the first rank of Japanese and Heartless attackers, but the second waves just charged over the corpses of their dead and wounded compatriots.

Godfrey took aim with his carbine and fired twice, hitting a Japanese soldier in the chest squarely. The man fell less than fifteen yards from his position. Nagl was shooting steadily from his position.

Kolopak turned as the soldier next to him fell as several Japanese bullets tore into his chest and neck. He took aim at the boy's killers, firing three shots that caused three fatalities before a Japanese soldier jumped over the barricade.

Kolopak turned and struck the Japanese soldier in the face with the barrel of his weapon and swung the stock, striking the man in the head.

Another Japanese soldier charged at Kolopak, about to run him through from one side only to have Godfrey hit him with four carbine rounds.

The only problem Godfrey had with his M1 Carbine was its lack stopping power. The .303 rifles the Australian soldiers were carrying were definite one shot stoppers. Sometimes it took two or three rounds to kill a charging Jap, sometimes more. Godfrey cursed his ammunition for the fifth time in as many minutes as he picked off a Shadow Heartless that had just tackled Nagl from behind.

The fighting was getting close now. Hand to hand as the Japanese and Heartless swarmed over the perimeter.

Willard took a Bandit down with his Webley revolver. He had already killed three other Heartless with the weapon as he shouted commands to his remaining soldiers. He loaded more rounds with shaking fingers as he watched soldiers, his boys, engaging, fighting, killing and dying.

Hallam, his rifle knocked out of his hand, grabbed a charging Japanese soldier and jammed his knife into the man's throat. He turned to body check another one, knocking him on his side before stabbing him again. He turned towards a Shadow Heartless and let out a savage battle cry, knife at the ready.

Milo turned on the automatic turret on the _Morrowind_ and pushed the firing stud. The electrically driven turret shredded apart a band of several Heartless charging for the ship.

Lauren looked up from tending patients, hearing the sounds of shooting from outside. She bit back a nervous swallow as a malaria sick, wounded lad with a bleeding forehead reached out and held her hand. She grasped the patient's hand, trying to give him the inner comfort she didn't feel.

Doc kept a hand on his pistol butt as he made his rounds as the fighting kept getting closer and Scrappy peeked out the window only for a bullet to nearly take off his head.

Nagl struck a Shadow Heartless to the ground with the butt of his rifle only to be run through from behind by a Japanese soldier with a dagger. Nagl fell to the ground, dead. His attacker joined him an instant later as Kolopak shot him through the head.

Several Japanese regulars charged into the infirmary entrance and Godfrey turned round, shooting at them. The first of the Japanese soldiers pitched forward, dead, followed by the second who thrashed on the ground. His colleagues jumped over his thrashing frame and into the infirmary.

Doc fired his .45 pistol which went off with a deafening sound that hurt Lauren's already bruised ear drums. Another Japanese soldier pitched backward dead, and his colleague shot at Doc who pitched backward.

"Doc!" Lauren screamed as the Japanese soldiers grabbed her.

Scrappy jumped out of hiding and attacked one of the Japanese soldiers, grabbing hold of the man's throat with his powerful jaws and shaking with all the violence he could muster.

Lauren shut her eyes as the other Japanese soldier forced her to the ground. She waited for the gunshot, the killing blow. It never came. Scrappy growled and grappled with the Japanese soldier.

The Japanese regular smashed Scrappy against the wall, jarring the adolescent anthromorphic Great Dane who held on with pitbull like tenacity. The .45 pistol sounded again as Doc stood up, shakily.

"I thought you'd been killed!" Lauren exclaimed with relief and shock.

"I'm fine." Doc said, holding his side, "It's not as bad as it looks."

"Lie down!" Lauren began as she grabbed a nearby medical bag and began to treat him.

Meanwhile Major Willard kept wading through the battle, shouting orders, firing his Webley revolver at the more than occasional Jap or Heartless that came too close. A Bandit Heartless came up behind him, ready to run him through when a gunshot sounded.

The Bandit fell back as Godfrey fired his carbine true, shooting a hole through its head.

Willard barely had time to say anything before a rifle butt thudded against his head and he fell forward. In his blurring vision he could see a Japanese soldier raising his rifle, ready to shoot him before he blacked out…

Willard came too several moments later. "Are you alright?" Hallam said, "Major, are you with us?"

Willard got shakily to his feet, "I think so."

All around him, Willard saw the carnage. Saw Nagl lying dead on the ground, the Japanese dagger embedded in his back. The backstabbing Japanese soldier lay a few feet away shot through the head by Kolopak

Lauren and a couple Australian medics were among the bodies, treating all the wounded they found as best they could.

Scrappy, fur bloodied, and somewhat light headed, wandered about the perimeter.

An Australian soldier kept a vigilant watch on the jungle for more attacking troops.

"We held." Willard said.

"Those were our orders sir." Hallam replied.

"I can't thank you enough." Willard said, turning towards Kolopak, as he saw the Japanese soldier that nearly killed him lying with his skull split open on the ground.

Kolopak wiped the blood off his jade war club and nodded.

"Kolopak." Godfrey said, as he approached, "Recent message from HQ. A company from the American 9th Infantry Division is arriving, with more lads from the 98th Field Artillery to reinforce this position."

An American officer conferred with Willard in the distance as his NCOs directed the troops to various positions in the line.

"Children." Hallam remarked, indicating the freshly arrived American reinforcements, newly starched jungle fatigues worn on lean, muscular frames and with new rifles and weapons. Compared to them the Australian soldiers appeared as emaciated men with their uniforms hanging ragged, rifles having seen plenty of use but still serviceable.

"Fall in!" Hallam began. The Australian soldiers formed ranks. "Pass in review!"

A short column began to march. Twenty-two healthy men formed ranks and marched.

A hoarse song rang from the formation, "There was once a jolly swagman who camped by a billabong. Under the shade of a coolibah tree. And he sang as he watched, and waited till his billy boiled. You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. "

"This was a great victory, one worthy of story and song…" Kolopak remarked.

"Down came a jumbuck to drink out the billabong, up jumped the swaggie and grabbed him with glee. And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker bag. You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, you'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me."

"It cost enough." Godfrey remarked. From the jungle more troops approached, but these were men of the 53rd Militia Battalion, and the Morrowinders that had joined them.

Lauren was already onboard the _Morrowind, _treating Doc's injuries. The prognosis was good. He'd make a full recovery. The Japanese bullet had only grazed him along the side.

Brumby lumbered into the _Morrowind_, exhaustion had taken over him and he headed past the infirmary.

"Down rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred, up came the troopers one, two, three. Who's the jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag? You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, you'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. Who's the jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag? Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, you'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me."

He could still here his countrymen singing a hoarse, yet spirited Waltzing Matilda and he sang along as well, blinking a tear from his eyes.

"Up jumped the swaggie and leapt into the billabong. You'll never catch me alive said he. And his ghost may be heard as you pass by the billabong. And he sang as he watched, and waited till his billy boiled. You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, you'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me. Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda, you'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me."

Lauren walked out of the infirmary and asked Brumby, "What does that song mean?"

"It's our national song in Australia." Brumby replied, "Every Aussie knows it and we find it to be especially poignant."

"I remember reading about the song back in college." Lauren said.

"It's a bloody good song." Brumby replied, "It's an ANZAC(i) favorite."

"ANZAC?" Lauren wondered, "Oh, the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps of World War I."

"How's Doc?" Brumby asked.

"He'll be alright." Lauren replied.

"And how about you? Are you alright?" Brumby asked.

"I'm fine." Lauren said, "A little shaken and bruised, but I'm alright."

"The Japs got into the infirmary?" Brumby asked.

Lauren nodded. "If it hadn't been for Scrappy and Doc I'd have been a goner."

Meanwhile Scrappy wandered among the positions, watched the fresh faced, clean shaven American infantry digging into the old Australian positions. He found a spot alone to sit down and put his face in his paws and let a few tears loose.

Yeah the man he killed had been a Japanese soldier trying to kill Lauren, but it still felt wrong somehow.

"Are you OK?" Flim Flam said, as he saw Scrappy.

"I'm fine." Scrappy said.

"Are you sure?" Flim Flam asked.

"Yeah." Scrappy replied.

Flim Flam noticed the blood around Scrappy's muzzle and knew what happened.

"You killed one of them, didn't you." Flim Flam asked.

"Yeah." Scrappy said, "He was about to kill Lauren and…Oh God I feel so awful…"

"Hey," Flim Flam said, "You saved Lauren's life, you did the right thing."

After an awkward silence, Flim Flam knew Scrappy wanted to be left alone for a while, "Don't worry, I won't let them leave without you…"

Scrappy smiled wanely, as he wrestled with the thought that a life like his had been ended in his own jaws.

"Are you alright?" Godfrey asked, when he saw Prue as he headed onto the _Morrowind_ to grab a shower.

"I'm OK." Prue replied as relief washed over her at seeing Godfrey alive and in one piece, "I was worried."

"So was I." Godfrey replied, frankly as he looked at Prue.

"Please don't look at me like that." Prue began.

"Why not?" Godfrey replied.

"It makes me feel uncomfortable." Prue replied. There was a certain intensity belied by Godfrey's normally gentlemanly demeanor, and there were a handful of moments she had witnessed it and wasn't the most comfortable regarding it.

"Sorry." Godfrey replied and headed for his quarters.

--

"The first of the 13 Ghosts has been captured." Maleficent said, "This is unacceptable."

"Think about it. The _Morrowind_ and its crew will be out of our hair for a while." Rourke said, "It'll give us more time to find the location of the Heart of Darkness."

"Yes, the ultimate source of dark power." Jafar said, "Far more powerful than any we have yet seen."

"But it will take even more power to tame it." Oogie Boogie said, "I still say that we resurrect the Source."

"We will not revisit that train of thought." Maleficent replied.

"But if those 13 Ghosts don't kill off that Halliwell witch and the 'meddling kids' from her dimension, then she's coming for us." Oogie Boogie said, "Remember the prophesy."

"Fool!" Jafar said, "It is the Keyblade Wielder we must fear, not one mere witch."

"That 'One Mere Witch' and her friends vanquished Shax and defeated Imhotep!" Oogie Boogie replied.

"As one group they are a deadly threat." Captain Hook added, "But I do admit that Halliwell witch is a formidable enemy."

"Which is why we should resurrect the Source of All Evil!" Oogie Boogie countered, "He killed her once. He can kill her again."

"And enslave us all? No thank you fatboy!" Jafar said.

"ENOUGH!" Maleficent roared, "We will not use the Source, no matter how tempting an idea it is. He is too powerful to manipulate and he does not like to share power. We would be crushed beneath his heel were he to rise again."

The villains left the unknown chamber, all but one. From a flame in a nearby brazier a disembodied form rose, "You said you would resurrect me…"

"Forgive me." Oogie Boogie said, "But I can't convince Maleficent to resurrect you."

"I've heard your arguing before, you incompetent sack of bugs." The Source replied.

"I will find a way to resurrect you my liege…" Oogie Boogie began, making a bowing gesture before what felt like fifteen times to force of gravity forced him to his knees.

"I warn you. If your co-conspirator's plot fails, I will posses _you_!" The Source replied.

"I assure you, it won't…" Oogie Boogie replied.

"For your sake, I hope yes." The Source replied and released his hold, vanishing.

Oogie Boogie left the room, not knowing that another set of eyes had seen the whole thing.

Colonel Rourke appeared around the corner as Oogie Boogie left, without seeing him. Rourke stood in the middle of the room as three hooded figures appeared.

"So, it would seem that Maleficent's coalition of villains is experiencing some disunity." One figure said.

"Yes." Rourke replied, "And one more thing…"

"We are aware of Oogie Boogie's conspiracy with the Source of All Evil." The other figure replied.

"This could work in our favor." The third added, "If _we _could devise a way to contain the Source's power, it would set us up for our future battle on another world."

"Even more of interest. This Heart of Darkness that Maleficent seeks." The first hooded figure added, "The Superior would be greatly interested in it."

"There is one of the 13 Ghosts from the Chest of Demons who would be adept at finding it." Rourke began, "The Shadow Demon. A being of darkness would naturally seek the ultimate darkness…"

"Very well." The second hooded figure said, "We shall report to the Superior that progress has been found locating this Heart of Darkness."

"There is a lead." Rourke said, "Somewhere in the Pacific Theater, on Guadalcanal. A US Marine Raider unit was recently engaged by what they describe as a 'Super-Heartless' at Lunga Point."

"Promising..."One of the Nobodies said.

--

TBC: In the next chapter the Morrowinders will team up with a certain archaeologist and a platoon of Marine Raiders. But will this team be enough to defeat the Shadow Demon?

i ANZAC – Australia/New Zealand Army Corps.


	3. The Shadow Demon

The Shadow Demon

Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed, Kingdom Hearts, or Disney's Atlantis. Alan Godfrey, Nigel, Brumby, and Lauren Calahan are my creations. I couldn't resist the cameo of four very humorous creatures for some light hearted comedy before all the serious stuff…

The movie Windtalkers inspired part of this fic. Also the movie Indiana Jones was a new addition to this fanfic.

--

"Prue's actions were foolish. You should never have allowed her to pursue Imhotep." Natalie said.

"Natalie, guide your charges how you will guide them. I shall guide them how I shall." Nigel said.

"Still you should have stepped in." Natalie said, "Andy shouldn't have been allowed to have been brought back anyway."

"I had nothing to do with that. Maleficent raised him from the dead." Nigel replied.

"Still, you should have intervened." Natalie said.

"But through Prue's admittedly failed efforts, Imhotep was stopped." Nigel replied, "So it wasn't a total loss."

"Noted." Natalie replied.

"I've encountered some rather strange creatures in my travels." Nigel said.

"That was random." Natalie began as a short, puffy creature, pink with large blue eyes standing a little over a couple feet tall appeared.

"What? Where?" Natalie said as she looked at it. As she spoke Nigel rammed earplugs into his ears.

"It was from a world unfortunately destroyed by the Heartless." Nigel replied.

"Jigglypuff, Jigglyyyy-Puff… Jigglypuff, Jigglyyyy-Puff…Jigglyyyyy…." The creature sank.

"It sings rather soothingly." Nigel began.

Natalie yawned, "I'm feeling really soothed myself…"

Natalie fell asleep on the ground. Jigglypuff looked at her for all of one second before withdrawing a marker and drawing all over Natalie's face. Nigel orbed Natalie into her bedroom, lying on her back.

Several minutes later Natalie yawned and woke up, "So odd…how did I wake up here and…"

Just then a large black ball with white eyes and a mouth with two fang-like teeth appeared directly above her. "Gaaasss…"

"AAGGGHH!!" Natalie shouted and ran out of her bedroom screaming.

A sound echoed through the hall, "Gengar…Gengar…Gengar…"

There was no way Natalie was going anywhere near where the Gengar sound was coming from.

"Gaaasss..." Gastly said as it came out of the bedroom through the closed door.

"AIEEEE!!" Natalie screamed and ran into the bathroom. The second she ran in she saw that her face had been drawn all over.

Right then and there her reflection changed to an angular, floating face with disembodied hands.

"Haunter Haunter..." The thing said.

"AIEEEE!!" Natalie screamed again. Unfortunately Haunter was blocking her path out of the bathroom.

She ran behind the shower curtain, hoping to lose the creature. She glanced around outside out of curtain, not seeing anything. She didn't notice Haunter coming out of the drain behind her.

"Phew..." Natalie said, "Whatever those strange creatures were...I'm glad that they're gone and..."

Haunter tapped her on the shoulder from behind, "Haunter Haunter..."

Natalie ran, screaming, out of the bathroom. Haunter gave a great belly laugh, "Haunt Haunt Haunt Haunt Haunt Haunt Haunt!"

Natalie ran out into the hallway just in time to see Gastly appear. "Gaas..."

"AUGGGHHH!!" Natalie screamed and ran away.

"Gaaassstly..." Gastly said as it chased Natalie.

"Haunter!" Haunter said and joined.

Natalie ran screaming out of her apartment, hearing the same thing she'd heard earlier. "Gengar. Gengar. Gengar."

Just then Natalie's shadow began to take on a life of it's own and Natalie ran, shrieking like a banshee. Just then the shadow came to life and took a form of a creature, about five feet high, with a tail, red eyes, and a mischievious grin.

"Gengar..."

"AIEEEEEEE!!" Natalie ran and started to bang on Gideon's door, "HELP!! DEMONS! HELP!!"

Gideon came to the door, bedraggled looking and saying, "Wha...Natalie? What are you doing here?"

"DEMONS IN MY APARTMENT! THREE OF THEM!!" Natalie said, obviously very freaked out.

Gideon headed for Natalie's apartment, "I'm sure there's nothing wrong. This is the Whitelighter Citadel. No demon would be foolish enough to enter this area..."

As he spoke, he turned towards Natalie and opened the door. Natalie saw Gastly floating behind Gideon.

"AAIIEEEE!!" Natalie screamed.

"What?" Gideon said.

"Look behind you…" Natalie squeaked.

Gideon turned and Gastly vanished from sight. "What?" Gideon said as they went into the apartment, with Natalie trailing terrified behind Gideon.

Gideon wrinkled his nose, "What's that smell, it's as if there were a leak in the…"

"Gaaass…" Gastly said as it appeared.

Natalie let out a scream and Gideon said, "Back away slowly…don't panic and…"

Gideon felt a persistent tapping on his shoulder. "Not now Natalie, I'm attempting to manage this precarious…"

Gideon turned just in time to see Haunter floating behind him. Haunter opened his mouth and pulled out a cherry bomb whose fuse was winding down fast.

Both Gideon and Natalie blew desperately on the fuse, trying to blow it out. The bomb exploded, knocking down Natalie and Gideon.

"Haunt. Haunt. Haunt. Haunt. Haunt." Haunter laughed.

"Gaastly…(So now what do we do?)" Gastly said.

Gengar appeared, "Gengar Gengar…(I've got this handled.)"

Haunter replied, "Haunter Haunter (It better be funny.)" Haunter replied.

"Gengar...(Don't worry...)" Gengar said.

Gideon awoke, feeling fuzzy headed, feeling a cool breeze. He looked up in horror to realize he was clad only in his white boxers with red hearts on them and lying on top of the Elders Council Table.

He was less scantily clad than Natalie who was wearing only body paint and strategically placed feathers and glitter. He tried to stand up, but realized in horror that he and Natalie were handcuffed to the table leg.

Haunter and Gastly were floating and laughing as Gengar stood poised dramatically to pull the lanyard for the large bell that would call the Whitelighter Elders to assemble.

"No! No! No! No! No!" Gideon screamed.

"Gengar! Gengar! Gengar! Gengar! Gengar!" Gengar said.

DING! DING! DING! DING!

The three ghosts vanished from sight, waiting for the scandal to see the light…

"Haw Haw Haw Haw Haw!!" Haunter said before vanishing as the door opened and the assembly of the Whitelighter leaders saw the sight before their eyes.

--

"How's Doc?" Scrappy asked.

"He's getting better. He won't need the cane in a couple more days." Lauren said.

"What about Uncle Shaggy and Uncle Scooby." Scrappy asked.

"They're fine." Lauren replied, and then she asked, "What about you? How are you holding up?"

"I don't feel too terrible about what I did, because I know I saved you. I can still kinda see the guy I killed though." Scrappy replied.

"Let me know if you need anything…" Lauren said.

"Just don't let Bugme in on this situation…" Scrappy began.

"Bugme?" Lauren replied.

"It's my latest nickname for Brumby. You know how he bugs me. Bug. Me. Bugme." Scrappy began.

"Scrappy, be nice…" Lauren replied, "You two have been on the wrong foot since you met."

"He's not exactly the nicest person alive." Scrappy replied, "Besides, why are you defending him?"

"He's not that bad of a person." Lauren said, "If you get to know him, he's actually a nice guy."

"He's a racist bastard." Scrappy said, "I mean you've heard him call Flim Flam a Jap on a couple occasions."

"Scrappy, bear in mind this is a different timeline…" Lauren said, "But I will talk to him about that."

"Thanks Lauren." Scrappy said.

Brumby came by just then, with two tin cups, "Coffee?"

"Sure." Lauren said, "You read my mind."

"No, I just figured you'd want some, after all you've been up all hours helping Doc." Brumby replied.

"Thanks." Lauren replied.

"Just a fair warning, Cookie made it, so I'm not too sure what's in it." Brumby replied.

"But you've got a cup too." Lauren observed, "You'll be drinking it alongside me."

"I'm Australian, I brew tea, not coffee." Brumby replied, "It could've been worse. Vinny could have been brewing the coffee for the morning. Knowing him, he probably added gunpowder to the coffee grounds."

"Vinny seems to be responsible for quite a few people visiting the Infirmary." Lauren remarked.

"Well, you're getting a crash course in medicine, it seems." Brumby replied.

"One thing's for sure. Life on this thing really seems to have its share of drama." Lauren replied.

"Such as?" Brumby replied.

BOOM

"Other than the occasional explosion or Vinny's inventions…" Brumby replied, "Or some combination thereof."

"Well there's always the Prue and Godfrey romance…" Lauren began.

"They're just good friends, mate." Brumby replied.

_Men. _Lauren thought. "You can't tell that they've got something going on between them?"

"No, not really." Brumby replied.

Lauren said, "Look harder next time, you'll see it."

"I'm paid to be a soldier luv, not a poet…" Brumby replied.

"But you do write a lot, in that notebook you carry in your map case." Lauren remarked.

"Just a journal." Brumby replied.

"I hope you'll show me what it is you write in there every night." Lauren asked.

"It'll have to be a dark night." Brumby replied and sauntered off.

Daphne walked by just then, and noticing her niece in a weird mood, asked, "What's got you perplexed?"

"Men." Lauren replied, "They can be some of the most dense people alive…"

"Are you talking about men in general or one man in particular?" Daphne said.

Lauren hesitated, "No, just men in general."

"Wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Australian, would it." Daphne asked.

"No." Lauren replied, "Although he's an example about how dense men can be."

"About what?" Daphne said, with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

"Well you can tell that Prue and Godfrey have some kind of romantic tension between them…" Lauren replied.

"Well, yeah, it's like there's a neon sign above their heads." Daphne replied.

"Brumby couldn't see it." Lauren replied.

"Well, Lauren, not everyone is as romantically inclined as you…" Daphne replied as Shaggy walked by.

"Like, guys, have you seen my Pez dispenser. I had it last night and it went missing." Shaggy replied.

"I think it was in the infirmary…" Lauren began.

The three of them went in, and lo and behold the item in question was there. Shaggy picked it up, "You might not want to mess with it, after all, Vinny was in here after you left it behind and he might have…"

Shaggy pressed the head of the Pez dispenser and was promptly electrocuted. "ZO-YEEOOOWWWCCHH!!"

Shaggy staggered away from the dropped dispenser, his hair standing on end as Lauren finished her statement, "…experimented on it."

"I swear we need to talk to Vinny about experimenting on items." Daphne replied.

"We've been trying that since before Prue and Godfrey showed up. It hasn't worked." Doc replied.

"I'll kill him…I'll kill him…" Kolopak muttered, as he lumbered into the Infirmary, most of his hair standing on end.

"Let me guess, the electrified Pez dispenser?" Daphne asked.

"Yes." Kolopak replied.

"VINNY YOU IDIOT!!" Donald shouted as he ran by the Infirmary, all his feathers singed off, chasing the Italian inventor with a war hammer.

"Donald! Don't kill him just yet! Let me get him first!" Kolopak replied.

"What did Vinny invent this time?" Daphne asked.

"He actually was trying to do Donald a favor. He replaced the whole lighting system in Donald's magic lab. Unfortunately he accidentally wired the door into the main power grid and turned Donald into a crispy critter the second he touched the door knob." Prue began.

"What is the purpose behind Vinny inventing things other than creating chaos, insanity and madness?" Lauren asked.

"We're still trying to figure that out ourselves." Doc replied.

Just then a spring loaded mechanical kangaroo, a little taller than Scooby bounded by in the hallway. It was playing a recording of Waltzing Matilda.

"What on Earth?" Daphne said.

"Do you like it…" Vinny replied, "I believe Brumby inspired me to create this thing."

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled." Daphne said, rolling her eyes.

Donald came over to the infirmary just then, with Sora and Goofy trying desperately to restrain him from attacking Vinny.

"So what does this thing do? Electrocute people? Explode? Set things on fire?" Donald asked.

"Funny you should ask…because I don't know." Vinny replied.

"You invented something and you don't even know what it does?" Lauren asked.

"Eh, I was sleep walking when I invented it…" Vinny replied.

Just then a giant mechanical fist popped out of the kangaroo's right hand and clobbered Donald.

"Oh, now I remember, it's got a mechanical punching timer attached to it." Vinny replied.

Donald got back up and tried to use his hammer against it, only to get mechanically punched several more times.

Donald landed a blow on the top of the kangaroo and it promptly started punching Donald with a third, hidden fist.

Donald staggered around, "Wuh. Wuh. Wuh…"

FLOP. Donald hit the ground with a thud, his eyes rolling.

"I think someone should weld the door to Vinny's lab shut." Daphne remarked.

"Don't think that it'd help any." Prue replied, "At least with his lab open we can track the movements of his inventions and…"

"GAHHH!!" Kolopak could be heard screaming in the hallway as a mechanical tarantula, about the size of two human hands was clinging to his head.

"VINNY YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR YOU IDIOT!!" Kolopak shouted as he attempted to pry the thing off his head.

"Wow, it seems like someone's getting caught in the spider's web…" The voice came as two ghosts entered the room. The speaker was a tall, slender one with a long nose and five hair-like projections on his head. Beside him was a shorter, fatter ghost.

"Nice one Weerd." Said the other ghost.

"You!" Daphne shouted, spinning round and pointing an accusing finger, "Vanquish them!"

"Wait!" Prue replied, "Who are these guys?"

"Their names are Bogel and Weerd." Daphne said, "And last time we met, they were assisting the 13 Ghosts in trying to take the Chest of Demons."

"Yeah, but they're not exactly happy with us either, sister." Weerd replied.

"After all they're kinda accusing us of incompetence…And angry powerful demons aren't something you wanna mess with, even if you're already dead." Bogel replied.

"Yeah, the words 'fate worse than death' tends to pop up in conversation more than a _few_ times." Weerd replied.

"So that begs the question, why are you two here?" Prue asked.

"Simple, really, one of the 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo is on the loose." Weerd replied.

"That narrows it down to about 12 suspects." Prue replied, "Considering we've already captured Maldor."

"We know. And we want to help." Weerd replied.

"OK, you can start by telling us why the 13 Ghosts were released." Daphne added.

"Some guys in black robes wanted them to find this thing called the Heart of Darkness..." Weerd replied.

Before Prue could reply Bertha headed into the room, "This just in. US Marines on Guadalcanal encountered some horrible 'Super Heartless...'. And also an entire platoon of the US Marine Corps elite Raider Battalion was nearly obliterated."

"The Shadow Demon." Bogel replied.

"See. See, we're not lying!" Bogel and Weerd replied.

"I'll get Kolopak." Bertha replied.

Within the hour the _Morrowind _headed North towards the Marshall Islands. As they did, Bertha mulled the information. Almost a whole platoon of Marine Raiders, the best troops the Marine Corps had to offer, almost being completely obliterated in savage jungle fighting.

She thought of her own family. Her daughter, Lisa had married Robert Karl, a police chief in some little town in Florida a number of years ago. Lisa had four boys, the youngest, Anthony was in the Marine Raiders. The oldest, William, had been with Patrol Torpedo Squadron 3, as a Chief Torpedoman onboard PT 34 in the Philippines before it was overrun in 1941 by the Japanese and Heartless. William had not been heard from since. The last they had heard was he was at a prison camp called Cabanantuan in Luzon.

--

"Prue?" Godfrey asked as he knocked on the door.

No answer. Ever since those ghosts, Bogel and Weerd had shown up, things on the ship had been getting fairly strange.

"GAAHH!!" Donald screamed as he ran screaming out of his workshop covered in tarantulas.

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!!" Bogel laughed as he and Weerd watched Donald.

Godfrey hoped Prue wasn't in any danger and pushed the door open. "Prue?"

Still no answer. The bedroom door was closed and Godfrey knocked again. No answer.

Godfrey flung the door open just in time to see Prue's naked backside. He heard a sudden gasp as Prue spun around, clutching the small white towel to her as water droplets trickled down from the wet hair which clung to her face.

"Alan!" Prue yelped with surprise.

"Oh dear God, I'm terribly sorry." Godfrey replied.

"OK, what are you doing in here?" Prue asked as she wrapped the towel around herself.

"In case you haven't noticed, we've got Bogel and Weerd onboard and I don't exactly trust them. I knocked on your door to talk about this whole lot, and you didn't answer and I thought they'd gotten to you." Godfrey replied.

"Alan, I've noticed something about them. While I don't entirely trust Bogel and Weerd, they're more irritating than evil..." Prue replied, "And I know evil."

"WAAAAAKKK!!" Donald shouted, "YOU TWO GHOSTS GET BACK HERE NOW AND GET EVERY ONE OF THOSE SCORPIONS OUT OF MY BEDROOM!!"

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!" Bogel and Weerd laughed.

--

Godfrey sat in the _Morrowind's _library, reading through a volume of Edgar Allan Poe. "Hi there. Masque of the Red Death? A little grim, eh?"

Godfrey looked up in time to look up, in time to see Weerd standing in front of him, with a smile on his face.

"Circumstances are rather grim." Godfrey replied, "I figured it would fit..."

"Well you really look like you need cheering up." Weerd said, one hand behind his back.

"What do you have there?" Godfrey asked.

"Well, it was something Bogel and I swiped from Donald's magic lab..." Weerd said.

"For the love of God, you've no idea what it is, or what its intentions are." Godfrey replied.

"Well, I heard something of it being a teleportation powder and..." Weerd said.

"How does it work, exactly?" Godfrey asked, waiting to lunge and grab the jar.

"Wanna see?" Weerd said, and not waiting for the answer he launched a handful of powder into Godfrey's face.

With a loud cough and choke Godfrey felt like his stomach had turned inside out. He found himself in a room where it was oppressively hot, hotter than the hottest days in Mayapore. It was wet in the room, humid, more so than India's rainy season.

He felt himself bump into something, or rather someone, from behind. He turned around and saw a sight that was nearly out of his dreams. Nearly because the context of the dreams were a little more romantic.

He found himself looking directly at Prue's naked back side as she dried herself off with a little white towel.

Prue felt something bump into her from behind and she spun round to find herself face to face with a very wide eyed Alan Godfrey.

"ALAN!" Prue yelped with surprise as she pulled her towel around herself, "What are you doing here?"

"It's actually quite a story..." Godfrey began as he put his hand on his eyes.

"Out! Out! OUT!" Prue replied.

"Christ! Let me bloody explain!" Godfrey replied.

"You have the keys to every room as the security man..." Prue replied, "I can't believe you'd stoop to peeping Tom..."

"Two very mischievious ghosts are responsible for my being here right now." Godfrey replied.

"Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!" Bogel and Weerd could be heard laughing outside.

"Excuse me." Godfrey replied, as he ran out into the hall to chase them.

Prue stood there for a moment before continuing to dry off and get dressed. Actually, once she got over the initial surprise, she didn't really mind him seeing her like that, oddly enough.

--

"Doctor Jones?" asked the nondescript man in civilian clothes.

"Yes, that's me." Dr. Indiana Jones replied as he stared out over Ayers Rock towards the Australian Outback.

"I understand your researching aboriginal beliefs in dark gods?" the rock solid looking man said.

"Yes, I am, and who might you be?" Jones asked. He sized the man up, in case he had to fight this guy. He was rock solid looking, built like a defensive end, but on the short side.

"Major Frank Coonan, US Marine Corps. I work for the Office of Naval Intelligence."

"And why exactly would ONI be interested in me?" Jones asked.

"Well Doctor Jones, recent campaigns in the Solomon Islands have unearthed a mysterious structures of Polynesian origin, ruins of a sort on various islands." Coonan replied.

"Go on." Jones continued.

"Well, doctor, from what we've seen of the ruins there are mentions to 'Dark Ones', 'Beings Without Hearts' and things of that nature." Coonan replied, "Our translators have even detected references to the number thirteen numerous times. We could use someone of your archaeological expertise to help us with research into our latest find."

"Which would be..." Jones replied.

"On the Island of Guadalcanal." Coonan replied.

"Guadalcanal. Wait a minute, aren't there Japanese soldiers and Heartless on Guadalcanal?" Jones asked.

"Yes." Coonan replied.

"Well then, it's not the safest place to conduct research." Jones replied.

"Since when have you cared about safety, Dr. Jones." Coonan replied, "And anyway, much on the fighting on Guadalcanal appears to be dying down. And we will be accompanied by a platoon of among the Marine Corps finest troops: The Marine Raiders."

"So how are we getting there?" Jones asked.

The Morrowind flew over the horizon just then before alighting onto the desert floor. "By Independent Airship...let's not forget the crew of the Morrowind includes a Keyblade wielder for additional security." Coonan replied.

--

_And when he gets to heaven. _

_St Peter he will tell,_

"_One more Marine reporting, sir_

_I've served my time in hell..." _

**- US Marine Corps Cadence, Author Unknown**

Guadalcanal, 1943. With lush tropical jungles, blue Pacific seas, and clear skies, the Island, as its Marine guests called her since their arrival in the fall of 1942, would have seemed a tropical paradise from a travel brochure.

Its reality, however, could not be further from the illusion. The Island greeted its guests with fields of kunai grass, as tall as a Marine and sharp as a K-bar fighting knife, snakes of all types, large crocodiles, malarial mosquitoes and tropical storms.

As if nature's hazards weren't enough, since the Marines took the Island in 1942, the Japanese and Heartless launched numerous efforts to retake it. The main reason was Henderson Field, named for US Marine pilot killed during the Battle of Midway.

Marine manpower was too limited to maintain a constant perimeter about the island, and so mobile defenses were adopted. And so it was for the men of the Marine Raider Battalion, who landed on the Island the previous year during the amphibious assault.

All this was furthest from the mind of Corporal Joseph Enders as he defended Lunga Point from a Japanese landing. The night before, the lieutenant had bought it, his corpse still floating face up in a flooded riverbank, hunks of viscera hanging out from a bayonet wound after having been stuck time after time by Japanese bayonets.

Sergeant Jelal, the last NCO in 2nd Platoon, the others either dead, wounded, or out with malaria, hadn't lasted that much longer. A Japanese bullet had torn into his throat as he fell twenty five yards away from his lieutenant.

His men were behind him and to the right and left of him, as far as he knew as he blasted into the fog with his Thompson gun. He hoped that he hadn't just blown away some lost Marine from the other platoon.

A shriek pierced the fog, an animal cry as a Japanese soldier, chest pockmarked with .45 caliber rounds.

"_Banzai!_" and "Die Marine!" came from the fog as more Japanese soldiers materialized like spectres, with several Heartless rushing behind and beside them.

Enders fired into the fog, gun blazing, several Japanese and Heartless falling like cordwood before him. The glint of a bayonet was just visible out of the corner of his eye...but it wasn't meant for him. It pierced the shoulder of Tommy Kittering, Atlanta, Georgia. Kittering didn't react, at least not immediately, and then dropped heavily to his butt, screaming like a squalling infant as a Heartless dove on top of him, clawing at his face.

Enders put his weapon practically onto the Heartless' head and squeezed the trigger and blew the creature's head off in a spray of black blood and gray brain matter.

A Springfield '03 rifle cracked beside Enders' head as PFC Anthony Karl, DeLand, FL, let fly. Another Japanese soldier pitched backwards into the kunai grass, a hole blown through his head.

Another scream echoed. Pvt. Al Hasby, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, clutched a shattered forearm broken by a Heartless in a hand to hand fight. The Heartless lay with Hasby's K-bar embedded in it's eye socket, twitching on the ground. The kid looked at Enders with a pained look. Kid, just a damned kid, like so many of them, seventeen, eighteen years old.

PFC Bill Mertens, Denver, Colorado, blasted away at the Japs and Heartless, who were falling back into the fog. His eyes went wide as the weapon clicked on an empty chamber. "Runnin' outta ammo Joe! Gotta pull back!"

CRACK! Karl let fly again with his Springfield rifle. A Japanese soldier fell backward. "He's right Joe! Down to my last mag!" The Floridian sharpshooter replied.

"Karl! Get to First Platoon," Enders shouted, hoping that none of the bastards out there spoke English.

"Jesus Corporal! He's right. Look around man!" Kittering spoke as he held his damaged shoulder.

PFC Karl was long gone, running into the fog. Enders hoped to hell the kid, just turned twenty yesterday, would make it. The radio was shot to hell, along with the radioman who literally lost his head to a Bandit Heartless.

Enders gazed long at the demoralizing sight at what had become his unit. Half a dozen shit scared, tight faced kids, intermixed amongst their dead and groaning wounded buddies and even a few enemies.

"Shitcan this Joe! No one else has to die here!" Mertens said, a bit more insistently.

"Joe! I wanna go home!" Hasby added.

Enders felt his jaw muscles tense up. Who the fuck didn't want to go home. "We got orders! Hold this beach!"

"On your feet Marine!" Enders said as he bellowed, shoving his .45 pistol into Hasby's hand.

Kittering and Mertens looked shit scared as more brown uniformed figures raced from the fog. Mertens blasted away with the last four rounds in his clip, the ping of the Garand's magazine going empty and the clip springing upward.

A burst of fire from a Jap light machinegun as Mertens hit the ground clutching at his shredded belly, his guts leaking from inside. "God damn you Joe Enders!!" Mertens screamed his last words, clutching at his buddy's forearm.

Mertens let out a scream as his heart was absorbed and Heartless appeared on top of his corpse. Al Hasby screamed and blew him away.

Hasby blasted away with Enders' .45 pistol until it went empty and he literally fell apart as a Bandit Heartless cleaved him in half. Enders fired the last of his Tommy gun and blew the Bandit into a shredded wreck.

A grenade flew from the hand of a nearby Japanese soldier, which exploded from behind him.

Enders lay on his side as the Japanese and Heartless swarmed into the position. His vision was blurred by dust and injury. Screams, shouts and gunfire echoed loudly. He thought any second he'd see a Jap standing over him, rifle aimed, about to fire a round or stick him with a bayonet.

The shadow fell over him and Enders mentally steeled himself for a killing blow that never came. His vision showed Pharmacist's Mate 3rd Class Walt Kowaleski kneeling over him, bandaging his wounds.

He saw PFC Karl drop to one knee, picking off a fleeing Japanese soldier. _Goddamn, the kid made it…_Enders thought as he lost consciousness.

--

"So what's up with this new guy?" PFC Luke Wiersbowski began as he leaned on his Browning Automatic Rifle.

"He just lost most of his unit at Lunga Point." PFC Vincent DiStephano replied as he checked his M1 Garand for the umpteenth time.

"Still fucking weird man." Pvt. Willie Shapiro began as he adjusted straps on his radio, and indicated PFC Karl with his free right hand, "Just sits there with his rifle, field strips it, checks his telescopic sight, lights a cigarette and occasionally shadow boxes..."

"Section Eight." Pvt. Scott Cooksley began.

"He's just quiet, that's all." PH3 'Doc' Kowaleski countered.

"He's still a damn Section Eight. LT should just write his ass off..." Cooksley countered.

"It's probably long term shell shock." Wiersbowski replied, "He's got it hard core."

"Section Eight." Cooksley replied.

"Hey, he just lost most of his unit, most of his buddies. Guys he went through training with, guys he fought alongside with, joked with." Kowaleski replied, "And as you know, Marine Raider training ain't the easiest on the planet."

"Even when we were in training the guy never talked to anyone outside his platoon. Fucking dickhead deserved it. Too good to talk to second platoon..." Cooksley replied.

"Cooksley, shut it." Kowaleski said, "Give him a chance..."

"If he quits just staring out at the jungle with his rifle on his lap and actually talks on down time." Cooksley replied.

"It's kinda creepy tho." DiStephano said.

"Hey Di, didn't all he say was that he'd kill me for being such a jerk..." Cooksley said, "I think it's all talk, him just talking shit and he can't back it up..."

"Dude, he just lost his whole unit." Kowalseki replied.

"You mean the loudmouth, Kittering and that whole gang." Cooksey said.

"The Japs shot up first platoon pretty bad. They lost their officer and most of their NCOs on the first day." Kowaleski added.

_What_ _an understatement. _Karl thought. _Most everyone in 1__st__ Platoon, Charlie Company, Edson's Marine Raiders is either dead or wounded. Our platoon commander died that night. Most of the NCOs died that same day in various fights. Jelly was the last one we had till the Japs got him._

"What's that there?" DiStephano asked as he noticed the unusual looking aircraft landing.

"That an Army Air Corps bird?" Wiersbowski asked.

"Nah, it's an Independent Airship. But what in the hell's it doing way the fuck out here." Cooksley replied.

"LT went over that way to figure that out." Gunnery Sergeant Todd Wayland said as all six and a half feet of him lumbered into the area, "That means be sure you guys got your gear ready to go. I got a feeling we might just be getting some more tasking since LT headed over to HQ tent this morning."

Gunnery Sergeant Wayland was right, it turned out. As the Morrowind touched down, First Lieutenant Sam Task slung his M1 Tompson over his left shoulder as the landing ramp lowered.

He laid eyes on the crew as some members disembarked. Leading their group was a fellow who looked like an Indian, with a 1903 Springfield slung over his shoulder and a jade Aztec war club at his left hip. Beside him was a fellow in a British Army uniform, a man wearing brown trousers, a leather flight jacket and fedora hat with a bullwhip at his side and a .45 caliber automatic, a dark haired woman, and a short, stocky blond haired major wearing herringbone utilities with the USMC emblem and a battle helmet. In his hands was a Reising submachine gun with three magazines electrical taped together.

"Sir." Task said, without saluting due to the presence of the occasional Japanese sniper poking around the airfield perimeter, "Lieutenant Task, 2nd Platoon, Charlie Company, Edson's Marine Raider Battalion."

"Major Coonan, Office of Naval Intelligence. Good afternoon, lieutenant. Your men have been tasked to provide escort for myself, Doctor Jones and some other civilians from the Independent Airship _Morrowind._"

"Yes sir. I'll have the men ready ASAP." Task replied.

--

"Fall in." Gunny shouted and the men of 2nd Platoon fell into ranks as Lieutenant Task, followed by a fellow in a fedora hat and an unidentified major.

"What the hell's the LT doing with the brass in tow?" DiStephano asked.

"Quiet." Cooksley replied.

"Both of you button your yaps." Gunny said in a low whisper, "Before I have both of you cleaning shitters till the war ends."

"Good afternoon men." Task said, "I'm not gonna bullshit you, but it looks like we've got ourselves a mission, a real doozy from the looks of it."

Task looked out over the men, almost all of them to a man tested veterans, save a couple newcomers to the platoon. Hirsch and Matson in 1st Squad, together with PFC Karl, the sharpshooter from 1st Platoon after that unit got shot to hell.

"We're going to escort Dr. Indiana Jones here on a fact finding mission to the ruins near Lunga Point." Task began, "You have two hours to get your gear in order, draw ammunition, I suggest as much as you can carry, Lunga is still contested."

"Lunga Point? Hey, ain't that where 1st Platoon got its ass shot to shit LT?" Pvt. Spud Udesky, Sandusky, OH, replied.

"Spud, shaddap." Gunny replied sharply.

"Joining us will be crewmembers from the Independent Airship, _Morrowind._" Task replied, "Questions?"

"Sir, how many Japs does Intel say are in the area?" Cooksley asked.

"Intelligence reports indicate that a sizable Japanese contingent, approximately regimental strength is in the area." Task said, "Most of it is headed inland to reinforce positions overlooking Henderson Field that are being contested."

As Task spoke, the distant rumble of artillery fire could be heard, as troops from the US Army 25th Infantry Division were doing that contesting against determined Japanese defenders.

"How many Japs," Task said, "Expect at least a battalion strength element contesting us around Lunga. Friendly forces in the area include 3rd Platoon and men from 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division covering our flanks."

_Back to Lunga. _Karl thought. _Where Mertens, Hasby, and Kittering bought their farms. Payback. _

As he stood in formation he noticed an old woman on top of the airship that the newcomers had come from. She was adjusting a communication antennae of some sort. He recognized her just then, Grandma. He'd not seen her in almost ten years.

_--_

Lauren watched the activity around the airfield. A mix of Army and Marine personnel busied themselves repairing and refitting aircraft on the field, pulling guard duty, or resting when they could.

Audrey was checking a fuel-line on the _Morrowind, _muttering something about number three engine's RPM issues.

Vinny and Mole were fixing up the electronically targeted twin .50 caliber machineguns underneath the nose.

Godfrey was talking to an unidentified American officer, a Marine from what she could tell, something about additional intelligence.

"Hey Lauren," Daphne said, "Kolopak's called a meeting."

Shortly, everyone assembled in the _Morrowind's _mess hall.

"Alright. We're going to split up into two groups. One group is accompanying Dr. Jones and providing all the support we can. Another group stays back and provides security here. Be ready to get in the air in a hurry."

"I'll lead the group going with Dr. Jones. Kida you're in charge here at the airfield." Kolopak began, "Going with me: Godfrey, Prue, Goofy, Sora, Donald, Daphne, Milo, Mole, D'Artagnan, Brumby, Lauren, Scrappy, and Vinny."

"Why Lauren?" Daphne asked.

"Doc's still not good to travel after being injured in New Guinea." Kolopak replied.

Daphne reluctantly conceded. Lauren had seen some action in New Guinea.

"What about Bogel and Weerd? We can't just let them roam around the ship." Godfrey replied.

"They come with us." Kolopak said, "Sora, if they get out of line, vanquish 'em..."

"Rat rabout rus?" Scooby asked.

"Scooby, you and Shaggy stay with the ship and monitor the radio. We might be calling for help in a hurry. Kida, Audrey, Cookie, Bertha, and Doc also stay with the ship. We might need you to get us out of here in a hurry." Kolopak said, "We move out in an hour..."

--

The group moved through the jungle. The Marines had two squads in front with the third and fourth squads to the rear. To the center of the formation were the Morrowinders, with Bogel and Weerd under very close watch.

DiStephano had point with Wiersbowski behind him. Wiersbowski had his Browning Automatic Rifle ready to deal with anything that would likely come creeping up on them in the jungle.

Indiana Jones and Major Coonan were in the center of the formation where the leadership of the platoon was. Gunny was riding shotgun, his M1 carbine ready.

As they moved through the jungle DiStephano raised a fist and gestured for everyone to go to ground. The Marines fanned out, weapons covering 360 degrees of cover. The _Morrowind _crewmembers with firearms did the same, and Donald readied his war hammer staff, Goofy held up his smasher shield and Sora summoned the Keyblade.

"Japs..." DiStephano passed silently down the column. Almost everyone could see Japanese soldiers, with at least one heavy machine gun and at least two mortar tubes, followed by several Heartless. A company sized element? How had it passed the Lunga Perimeter? Did it slip by, or worse, was the perimeter overrun.

"They're headed straight for the airfield." Gunny remarked as he headed back from DiStephano's position.

"We have to warn them..." Lauren said.

"We don't have to warn anyone. We have a mission and if we fail the mission, more Marines are gonna die." Coonan replied.

"LT." Gunny said, ignoring Coonan, "What are your orders..."

"Gunnery Sergeant, we have an assignment." Coonan said, "This is an unnecessary risk."

"Sir the lives of our fellow Marines are about to be at risk.. Our ultimate objective is to protect Henderson Field." Gunny replied.

Up and down the column the safeties on M1 Garands, BARs, M1 Carbines, Springfields and Tompson sub machineguns began to click off.

"Wait for the rear elements to pass first squad's position then hit them hard and fast." Task began.

"Lieutenant..." Coonan warned.

"This might be your mission, sir, but its my platoon." Task replied, "And I cannot in good conscience allow a large Japanese strike force near the airfield without doing something about it."

"Lieutenant, that's at least a company sized element, one hundred and fifty men, at least three times our size." Coonan replied.

"We'll hit them hard, hit them fast and disengage fast." Task replied, "Head to the first rendezvous point."

"This is an unnecessary risk." Coonan replied sourly as he disengaged the safety on his Reising sub machinegun.

"LT, first squad in position. Second and third squads moving into position." Gunny said.

"Wiersbowski, base of fire. Karl, cover him. As soon as that rear security element passes first squad's position, take out the officers. On his first shot, Wiersbowski trigger the ambush..."

Karl checked the bolts on the 10x Unertl telescopic sight almost as long as the Springfield rifle itself. He sighted in on a Japanese officer, katana dangling from his hip. He placed the crosshairs on the head of the Jap officer, aiming squarely at the man's ear canal.

_Aim small, miss small, son. Thanks Dad._ Karl thought.

CRACK! Karl let loose with the first round. The Japanese officer never knew what hit him as the .30-06 bullet ripped into his brain at high velocity.

Almost instantaneously Wiersbowski opened up with the BAR, mowing down a trio of Japanese soldiers with a burst of fire.

From up and down their flanks the combined Marine and _Morrowinder _ambush took the Japanese and Heartless almost entirely by surprise.

DiStephano and Cooksley let the Japanese soldiers with the heavy machinegun have it and D'Artagnan contributed fire with his Tompson gun.

Kolopak had taken a position beside Karl and took aim with his own Springfield. CRACK! A Japanese sergeant waving his katana got a part of his face caved in by Kolopak's shot.

"_Banzai!_" came a shout. The Japanese soldiers rushed towards the Marine positions, with several Heartless. Despite the withering fire the Marines were throwing their way, the Japanese had sheer numbers on their side.

"By squads! Fall back!" Task shouted. Gunny relayed his directions down the line.

Fourth squad fell back first. The Japanese assaults were becoming more coordinated, despite the Marines' deadly accurate counterfire.

The Japanese were getting closer as third squad fell back. Gunny let fly at a Heartless that got too close with his carbine, hitting the creature in the center of its stomach, the chest, and the middle of it's head.

Coonan let a charging Japanese soldier have it with a short burst from the Reising gun. Despite the withering fire the Japanese were receiving, their sheer numbers were beginning to tell. They kept pressure on the Marines as the platoon began to withdraw into the jungle.

Lauren closed her eyes as bullets flew and grenades exploded. Shaggy dragged her to her feet, "Come on, run, get out of here..."

A Japanese soldier rushed at Shaggy, about to bayonet him when Donald smashed his face in with a mighty swing of the war hammer.

"Grenade!" Gunny shouted and kicked one back at the Japanese troops.

Lauren felt more than saw or heard the blast, but felt herself being knocked off her feet. She staggered like a drunk, narrowly avoiding being skewered by a Bandit Heartless. She saw it shake like it had been electrocuted. Brumby had just blown the creature away with most of the magazine from his Owen sub machinegun.

Lauren couldn't hear but she could see Brumby's lips moving. "Grenade!" The Australian shouted and dragged both of them staggering, falling, tumbling down the hill. Trees, ground, sky all alternated in a spiraling view for Lauren before she blacked out.

--

"Hello!" Lauren shouted into the fog, "Brumby? Daphne? Anyone..."

A hand clamped over her mouth and Lauren thought the worst for about a second until she heard an Australian accented voice whispering in her ear, "Shh, you want those bloody Japs to catch you? There could be thousands of them around here, and we can't see a bloody thing."

A moan sounded just then and both of them turned. Lauren headed for the source of the moan, practically running. Lauren stopped short, lying on the ground, holding his bleeding stomach in his hands, was a Japanese soldier.

Brumby immediately raised his sub machinegun. "No!" Lauren shouted.

"I've seen them do far worse to our wounded!" Brumby protested.

"Still, he's a human being." Lauren protested, and stepping between them said, "If you want to shoot him, you'll have to kill me too."

"You weren't there on the Kokoda Track." Brumby replied, "You didn't see bodies mutilated, parts cut out of them and later found roasting on campfires. We never took any Japs prisoners there."

"Why?" Lauren said.

"It's an unwritten rule of this war. Cannibalism is an instant death sentence. Our lads always shoot Japs cannibalizing our dead or wounded." Brumby replied.

Lauren ignored Brumby's words and began treating the wounded Japanese soldier.

"We'd best get moving." Brumby replied. There was noise and movement in the fog, the occasional gun shot or the boom of artillery or mortar fire from further inland where the US Army's 23rd Infantry Division was fighting the Japanese for the inland hills in savage jungle fighting.

The fog made it impossible to see more than a few feet. "Come on, this way...we'd best head towards the airfield. It's our best bet for safety." Brumby said.

"What about the others?" Lauren asked.

"I'll drop you off at the airfield and then head off with the others." Brumby replied.

"I can't leave Aunt Daphne and..." Lauren began. A moan cut off anything else she had to say.

Brumby turned towards the source of the moan, aiming his weapon. Lauren wisely followed behind him as they headed for the source of the moan. Lying amongst the ferns and kunai grass was Scrappy. Blood covered his left rear leg and most of his left side.

"Oh my God." Lauren exclaimed as she reached for her medical bag. Brumby dropped to one knee, scanning the fog, in case any more Japanese soldiers were to appear.

The sounds of savage fighting could be heard. It was coming from the direction of Lunga Point as more Japanese units attempted to breach the Marine perimeter. Grenade explosions. Rifle shots. Automatic weapons. Screams.

"Scrappy?" Lauren said, "Can you hear me?"

"Ughh..." Scrappy said.

"What happened?" Lauren asked.

"When we were pulling back, a Japanese soldier stuck me in the leg..." Scrappy groaned.

Lauren was on her knees, treating the wound. "You're lucky, it missed any arteries or veins. But you lost a lot of blood..."

She bandaged the injury, "Try and put weight on it."

Scrappy stood, shakily, and he could limp reasonably. "That'll do." Brumby said, "We'd best get moving."

"Where to?" Scrappy said.

"Back to the airfield, get you treated." Brumby replied.

"No way! I can't leave the others behind..." Scrappy said.

"You're in no state to walk." Brumby replied.

Scrappy hobbled in the direction of the airfield.

--

The Japanese soldier collapsed as PFC Mike Barr shot him with his M1 Garand. All around him other Marines from George Company, 1st Platoon of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division were fighting Japanese soldiers attempting to break through the perimeter at Lunga point. The rifle pinged with the tell-tale ejection of its empty clip.

Barr fished around his bandoliers, looking for another clip. Fumbling he found one and jammed it into the rifle, sending the bolt forward just as three Shadow Heartless crashed from the foliage, landing on top of Pvt. Con Adams, Omaha, NE. Barr hit two of the Heartless with his M1 before the weapon clicked on a dud round.

"Fuck!" Barr shouted.

Con was wrestling with the Shadow Heartless, reaching for his Kabar knife, raising it in the air. Splashes of black blood could be seen in the air as Adams plunged his knife into the Heartless again and again.

A burst of gunfire sounded from a Jap light machine gun and Adams twitched on the ground as if he were being electrocuted.

"Running low Sarge!" Barr shouted, "I think we should pull outta here!"

"Barr, you and Cliffton take that machine gun out! I'll cover you two." Sergeant Mayhew Harris, Crofton, MD, shouted back as he fired his Tompson gun in a burst that mowed down two Soldier Heartless trying to advance behind the cover of the Japanese machine gun.

"Sarge, could you give us a hand with that thing?" Barr asked.

"Barr, if we get out of this you are on shitter duty the rest of the damn war." Harris replied brusquely as he let fly with his Tompson gun.

Barr tossed a grenade into the machine gun position and it exploded, killing the Jap gunner and wounding the assistant. For about a second Barr saw a glowing heart shape where the wounded Japanese assistant gunner lay dying and a Heartless appeared in his place. Barr shot it with the last four rounds in his clip and the thing lay twitching two feet away. Jesus Christ the thing was still trying to attack even as he was killing it...

Harris grabbed the hand held radio and started to get on the horn, "Checkmate King this is Checkmate One, we just soaked up another attack, around two squads worth, a bit more determined than the probing assaults..."

"AAGGGGHHH!!" Barr screamed as he was dragged, screaming by his leg into the bushes.

"Fuck! Fuck!" Cliffton shouted and tossed a hand grenade into the bushes which exploded as Barr's last screams were truncated by a wet ripping sound an instant before the explosion tore into the bush.

Harris was about to tell Cliffton not to throw the grenade but realized that it was the most merciful act Cliffton could do for Barr just then. He knew the kid would suffer for killing his buddy, but the three pairs of Heartless feet he saw sticking out in the wrecked brush.

He reloaded his Tompson gun, stuffing the mostly empty magazine from the last firefight into a shirt pocket. He had no sooner had he pulled the bolt back when seven soldier Heartless charged over the logs. He let them have it with the Tompson, with Cliffton adding fire from his M1 Garand.

"Checkmate King, Checkmate One pulling back, right flank folding."

"Checkmate One, negative, hold the position. We can't let the Japs reinforce the attack on Home Plate."

"God damn it." Harris grunted, "Checkmate King, you'd better reinforce me pronto. I've lost half my Marines already trying to hold this godforsaken stretch..."

"Understanding where you're coming from, but we're just as stretched as you...we've got big probing attacks up and down our perimeter."

"Sarge, are they sending help?" Cliffton said, his narrow seventeen year old face imploring.

Harris felt like a sonofabitch when he replied, "They've got too many Japs attacking the perimeter, all over the place to reinforce us..."

"What do we do?" Cliffton asked.

"Gather all the ammo you can, all of you..." Harris said, indicating the other five surviving Marines. Seven of their twelve men lay dead around the jungle, "We've got a buzzsaw of a fight coming..."

Those Marines were realizing a lesson of the hellish jungle battles, ammunition was lifeblood and sharp bayonets and even sharper survival instincts were to keep them alive. For however long that was the case...

--

Marines and soldiers on the Henderson field perimeter were equally under strain. Gunnery Sergeant Tim Shavitz let fly with the M1937 shotgun, decapitating a Bandit Heartless, who's neck stump sprayed black blood and gray matter as it fell.

"Yes sir we definitely were close enough to use these things." Shavitz replied to Captain Jack Moscowitz, company commander of B for Baker Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Division.

"Remind me to write the weapon's platoon commander up for a medal after this is all over then..." Moscowitz said with only a hint of sarcasm.

Shavitz reloaded another two rounds into the shotgun. "First platoon's holding its positions, second's floundering but third sent two squads to reinforce them. Fourth soaked up another attack..." Shavitz reported.

"Good. Private Flynn, call another fire support mission, danger close, in front of second platoon." Moscowitz replied.

Flynn, God bless the kid, called in his fifth fire support mission for that hour. The mortars opened up, raining 60mm shells into the midst of the Heartless and Japanese troops attacking the perimeter.

Moscowitz watched with grim satisfaction as two Heartless went flying in the nearest explosion that flung their broken and burned bodies into the air.

--

"Forget the airfield..." Brumby said as the sound of explosions and fighting neared, "We'd be better off if we met up with the others and the second rendezvous point."

"Why?" Lauren asked.

A fusillade of machinegun fire and mortar explosions provided all the answers she needed. Lauren and Scrappy wisely followed Brumby's lead through the jungle, towards the ruins.

"I thought we were in friendly territory, aren't we?" Lauren asked.

"You call this friendly?" Brumby said, pointing two corpses, one was a Marine with a shattered rifle in one hand. The other was a Bandit Heartless that had been torn apart by a Tompson gun.

As they picked their way through the jungle, they saw evidence of more fighting. Corpses, Japanese, Heartless and Marine alike lay strewn about in a strange fellowship of death.

It was clear that a series of running gun battles had been fought over the routes to the airfield. The Marines had inflicted losses on the Heartless and Japanese, but had also suffered horrible losses as well.

Brumby bent down to examine the battlefield from line of fire level. It was clear that this Marine squad had fought valiantly to control this particular stretch of land, but the Japanese and Heartless had been too numerous and punched a hole into the perimeter that was being exploited.

"Grenade!" Brumby shouted and kicked it away. The weapon exploded with a bang, missing Lauren and Scrappy, but knocking both of them to the ground with the concussion wave.

Several Japanese soldiers accompanied by four Search Ghosts appeared from the brush. Brumby opened fire with his Owen gun, obliterating two of the Search Ghosts and knocking down the nearest Japanese soldier.

"Brumby! Run!" Lauren shouted.

The Australian took off running through the jungle, Search Ghosts chasing him. Lauren let out a strangled yelp of pain as a Japanese soldier grabbed her by the hair, another grabbed her by the arms and dragged her off.

"HEY!" Scrappy protested as another Japanese soldier grabbed him. Scrappy bit him on the arm and the Jap cursed violently.

"NO!" Lauren screamed as another Japanese soldier struck Scrappy with a rifle butt and was about to impale him on the bayonet when their squad leader barked a command. The Japanese soldier backed off and tied a rope around Scrappy's paws. Two of them carried him on a wooden pole.

--

From deep in enemy territory Task could hear the sound of fighting as the Japanese and Heartless attacked the Lunga Perimeter.

"Damn..." DiStephano said from the front of the line, "About twenty yards into the cave is a large locked door..."

"Sora. This looks like your specialty." Prue said, as they entered the cavern.

"It's weird." Sora remarked, "Since we passed the perimeter fighting, we've not seen a single Jap or Heartless..."

"Makes you wonder, where they're at..." Godfrey replied, "Are they lying in wait around here for us, or is there something in this cavern even _they're_ not stupid enough to mess with."

"We still can't discount the possibility of ambush. Third and fourth squads, stay behind." Task ordered, "Gunny you're in charge of the rear guard."

"Yes sir." Gunny replied.

"The rest of us, get inside the cave." Task replied.

"So, what can we expect from this Shadow Demon?" Prue asked.

"Deceptive and cunning. It can appear out of seemingly nowhere." Daphne replied.

"So this works by us taking care of whatever Heartless or ancient badguys lurking down in that sealed door and you guys get close enough to trap him in this Chest of Demons of yours?" Task said.

"Exactly." Daphne replied.

"Right." Task said.

"I'll stay behind. Mole, go with Prue, Goofy, Sora and Donald, keep Milo and Daphne safe. D'Artagnan, Vinny, you're with me..." Kolopak began.

Meanwhile Indiana Jones and Milo were examining the strange door with Coonan standing behind them.

"How do you know this isn't gonna trigger some sort of booby trap..." Coonan asked.

"We're looking for warnings now." Milo replied, reading the language, "It's some ancient form of Ancient Polynesian I barely recognize...there's something relating about a 'key wielder' and obviously this giant Heartless emblem."

"And...what?" Coonan asked.

"Most of the stone has been eroded away by age." Milo said, "I'm seeing references to 'Great Darkness'."

"Doctors, get me as much information as you can as we travel through these caves." Coonan said.

"I think with what these warnings say we're gonna be facing something some great number of badguys." Milo said, "I don't think we can do that much information gathering..."

"First of all, Doctors, you have some of the best Marines of the Corps watching your backs. And if by some miracle any Heartless get anywhere near you two..." Coonan held up his Reising gun, "Rest assured I can take care of them."

"Sora...do your stuff..." Prue said.

Sora pointed the Keyblade at the stone door and the giant Heartless emblem split in half like a breadstick.

The group proceeded into the cavern's darkness. DiStephano held his M1 Garand at the ready. He overheard Dr. Jones and the linguist guy talking about 'Great Darkness'. What if an ungodly number of Heartless roared out of that door? One thing's for sure, the bastards might kill him, but he'd take as many of those bastards with him as possible.

The group proceeded into the caverns depths. Inside were statues of various Shadow and Neoshadow Heartless and writings on the walls.

"No shit...these guys worshiped the Heartless." Wiersbowski grumbled, "So we've got a mission into the middle of a Goddamn hornets nest..."

"Even worse. There aren't any hornets around." Cooksley replied.

Milo was writing information into his notes as fast as he could, occasionally mumbling: "A Great Darkness. A World Outside Our Own. A Great War."

"Milo, focus..." Prue said as Milo bumped into her from behind.

"I am focusing." Milo said, "It's like there's all this talk of prophesies, a great council of villains..."

"And this isn't stuff we already know?" Prue replied.

"Yes, but the idea of a World beyond our Own and a Time Beyond Our Own suggests that this war, while destructive and bloody isn't the war that these ancient carvings are talking about." Milo said.

"I dunno about you, but I'm worried about surviving this war." Wiersbowski replied.

"WAK!!" Donald shouted, "Heartless..."

Several Heartless came out of various places in the ruins right into the teeth of the Marines' gunfire.

A Bandit Heartless raised it's sword to cleave at Goofy from behind. D'Artagnan let him have it with his Tompson gun.

"ARRAGGH!" PFC Bailey screamed as a Neoshadow's claws ripped into his midsection, spilling his intestines all over the stone floors.

"Fuck you!" DiStephano said and jammed his bayonet into the creature's eye with so much force that the bayonet came out the other end of the creature's skull.

A large, round body with glowing eyes and a large mouth, with antennae and spindly arms and legs jumped from the ceiling and a glowing shape appeared from Bailey's chest, and a Heartless stood where they dying Marine had lain earlier.

Sora vanquished the new Heartless with a swing of the Keyblade and the Shadow Demon fled deeper into the cavern and started chasing Bogel and Weerd shouting, "Traitors!!"

"Now do you believe us!" Weerd shouted.

"Go!" Task shouted, "We'll keep the Heartless busy, for God's sakes vanquish the prick!"

Indiana Jones pulled his .45 automatic out and bagged another Neoshadow that tried to chase the other _Morrowind_ crew members. His bullwhip cracked and it knocked a Bandit Heartless' sword clear.

Coonan blasted the Bandit Heartless with his Reising gun, splattering black blood into the air.

"Can you guys keep the noise down, I'm trying to think over here!" Milo said.

Coonan responded by letting another burst of gunfire go at a knot of charging Soldier Heartless. The magazine ran dry and Coonan removed the magazine and flicked his wrist, jamming the new magazine into the weapon and slamming the bolt home. He used more bursts of gunfire to shred the remaining Heartless.

_Come on Morrowinders, work fast..._Coonan thought. Nearby DiStephano let another Neoshadow Heartless have it with two rounds to the chest with his Garand.

"Prue! Watch out!" Godfrey called out. Behind Prue was a Neoshadow, claws ready to impale the witch.

With the life of the woman he loved at stake, Godfrey didn't hesitate. He fired seven rounds from his carbine, the bullets striking home one after the other and the Heartless telescoped to the floor, dead.

Prue, Daphne, Sora, Donald and Goofy ran in to chamber which had to have been used for sacrifice victims, if the skeletons with the burst rib cages were any indication.

Cornered, Bogel and Weerd had nowhere else to go. The Shadow Demon loomed over them.

"Thundaga!" Donald shouted and sent volts of electricity arcing into the Shadow Demon. The creature roared and blinked, appearing behind Donald and smacking him with a clawed hand.

Donald sailed through the air and hit the wall, staggering.

"Donald, with the amount of times you smash your head into walls you'd think you'd be used to it by now..." Weerd remarked.

"Wuh! Wuh! Wuh!" Donald said.

The sound of shooting and fighting outside intensified as the Marines were determined to make the Heartless pay for any inch of space they managed to claim.

Prue flung an explosive potion into the Shadow Demon's mouth. The creature seemed to burst apart, but then coalesced into its component parts again.

The creature came at Prue and Daphne attempted to open the Chest of Demons, only to have the Shadow Demon throw her against the wall with a lot of force. Thankfully she collided solidly with Donald.

"Thanks for breaking my fall." Daphne said.

"Gurrkkk..." Donald said, still dazed.

As Daphne attempted to stand she could feel the pain shooting up through her ankle. Just then Bogel and Weerd swiped the Chest of Demons.

What Daphne saw next was the last thing she would expect to see in a million years. "Hey you miserable sack of shit!" Weerd shouted, "Try this on for size...Now Bogel!"

Bogel tried to lift the Chest's lid. But he couldn't bring the lid up.

"You fool, ghosts can't open the Chest of Demons..." The Shadow Demon said, "Prepare to be devoured, and what remains of your hearts to become Heartless..."

"But witches can open the chest." Weerd replied, "Now Prue!"

"With pleasure." Prue said and used her powers to open the chest. The Shadow Demon let out a shriek as it was sucked in. The temple began to shake violently.

"It'd be best to get out of here." Weerd said, as he and Bogel helped support Daphne between them.

--

Scrappy felt like his head was going to fall off as he came too. He could see he was upside down and tied up on a pole mounted on an A-frame. Lauren was sitting on the floor, her hands were tied behind her back and her ankles were tied together. Her knees were tied uncomfortably to her chest.

"Lauren?" Scrappy said.

"Oh my God, Scrappy are you alright?" Lauren asked.

"I've felt better...ooh...my head..." Scrappy said, "What do they want with us?"

"I don't know." Lauren said, "But they want us alive, that's a good sign?"

"Do you think Bugme got away?" Scrappy replied.

"Probably." Lauren said, she didn't want to think otherwise. She wanted to believe help was on the way, that even now Marines were in the company of the at times irascible Australian about to kick the bunker's door down and get her out of here. The alternative was something she didn't even want to think of.

Two Japanese soldiers came into the bunker and then came to attention as a third, an officer walked in.

"I am Captain Jiro Morikawa, I work for Imperial Japanese Army Intelligence and who are you two?"

"L-Lauren Callahan...I'm a medical student and..."

"You are a medical student, yet you follow one of the Australian soldiers that kills my people." Morikawa said.

"He was keeping me safe..." Lauren said.

"From what, I might ask...by your Geneva conventions I am not supposed to harm you." Morikawa replied, stepping closer to Lauren and cutting the rope that bound her thighs to her torso, allowing her to stretch her legs.

He leered, close to Lauren, undisguised lust in his eyes, "So how many are there in this group of yours? Are you not part of this _Morrowind_ group, with this witch...Or are you the witch and you are not telling me..."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a medical student...you can see my bag and..."

Morikawa slapped Lauren's face.

"You son of a bitch!" Scrappy shouted. Morikawa took a small rattan stick from under his arm and poked it into Scrappy's festering hip wound.

"AA-AAGGGHHH!!" Scrappy screamed.

"Mind your tongue...before I cut it out...Or perhaps I should let the Korean conscripts in my squad have at you. Meat has been rationed in our camp of late." Morikawa said, driving the stick deeper in.

"Stop it! Stop, you'll kill him and..." Lauren began.

Morikawa turned to Lauren and nodded to the two soldiers. They held her down and one of them began to tug at the buttons of Lauren's blouse.

Lauren let loose a near hysterical cry of terror. She knew what was coming next, what those men were going to do to her. No, it couldn't be like this, she was saving herself for someone special and now this was going to be her first...oh God no...

"Please. Please? No!"

--

"Banzai! Banzai!" Came the shout as several Japanese soldiers charged the entrance of the cave.

Gunny let the nearest Jap have it with his carbine.

CRACK! Kolopak fired a shot that drilled a Japanese officer through the throat.

Beside him was PFC Karl. The two men had perched behind some rocks with their 1903 Springfields.

Karl aimed his telescopic rifle at another Japanese with a sword and squeezed the trigger on his rifle, hitting the head of the Japanese man with the rifle.

A machine gun opened up, bullets tearing up one Marine who'd just reloaded his rifle. Kolopak bagged the gunner and Karl the assistant gunner.

Gunny threw a grenade at two more Japanese soldiers trying to get the machine gun back up.

"Ammo's running low, Gunny!" a Marine said.

"Hold the line. We've gotta keep this entranceway clear." Gunny replied, grimly. The shooting intensified, bodies of Japanese and Heartless piling up outside the cavern's entrance.

"Corpsman! Corpsman!" came the agonized scream. Lying on the ground was Shapiro. His innards were hanging out of his midsection and the Heartless that attacked him lay killed atop him, still clutching a pale coil of intestine in his hands.

CRACK! Kolopak scored again, killing a Japanese sniper aiming at PH3 Kowaleski.

"Nice shot old man." Karl said.

"I'm shooting better than you and I don't even have a scope." Kolopak remarked.

CRACK! Karl let fly with the Springfield, picking off a Bouncy Wild with a single round through the left eye.

"Keep piling 'em up boys." Gunny said as he walked the perimeter as the latest attack was broken, "When they try to press again, send 'em to hell where they belong."

"Running low Gunny..." Pvt. Young said from behind his Garand.

"Here, make these count." Gunny said, producing a bandolier from around his shoulder.

"Mama! Mama!" Shapiro screamed painfully, blood seeping around the dressing on Shapiro's stomach.

"Our Father who art in heaven..." Young began.

"Gunny, we gotta get back to the airfield." Kowaleski said, "Otherwise Shapiro's not gonna last the night..."

"We can't just cut and run. The men down below need us Kowaleski. Look, it's a shitty thing to do. But if we save Shapiro the rest of the platoon down below's fucked." Gunny replied.

"Yes Gunny." Kowaleski said, on the verge of tears.

Kowaleski opened up a syrette of morphine as he knelt beside Shapiro and stuck it into his arm, "Hang in there man, the guys downstairs will blow this shithole and we'll get you back to the world, a nice comfy hospital and maybe a hot little WAVE nurse."

"Banzai!" Came the shout, distant.

"Where the fuck are they?" Young said, nervously aiming his Garand around.

"Relax." Gunny said, "They get here, you'll know it."

Quiet again, except for Shapiro's moaning, which had died down just dropped.

"Maybe they're not coming..." Young said, more to himself than anything else.

"Banzai!" The shout again.

CRACK! Young let fly, shooting towards the shout.

"Banzai!!" the shout came again and from the jungles more Japanese and Heartless charged the Marines' positions.

CRACK! Kolopak struck a Japanese officer in mid-shout in the throat. Blood splattered onto the face of his subordinate who was also struck down when PFC Karl opened up with his own sniper rifle.

BOOM! Vinny tossed a grenade at a knot of advancing Heartless, blowing them sky high.

Young fired his Garand, taking down a charging Japanese soldier. He shifted his aim and downed a Bandit Heartless.

"I'll give you holes you slinky bastards!" Young shouted and fired at attacking Heartless and Japanese soldiers.

The fighting was quickly going to hand to hand. Rifle butts, knives, bayonets and swords were being utilized.

Gunny bashed a grappling Soldier Heartless into the side of the rocks. The creature stood up again and Gunny threw his helmet at the thing, crushing its skull. He retrieved his carbine off the ground.

BOOM! Another grenade exploded near the position, one Vinny had thrown. "Explode! Explode! Ha Ha Ha!!"

Kolopak swung his jade warclub, smashing a Power Wild's skull with a single swing. More Heartless and Japanese came charging into the fray.

--

The screams carried into the jungle and Brumby, hiding like a right prick felt rage creep into his system. Those bastards. He'd castrate before killing every last one of them. He could hear Lauren begging, screaming as the Japs were no doubt raping her and he could hear Scrappy yelling in protest and agony as some offended Jap struck him.

Brumby knew he had to act. He couldn't just walk away. After he killed the two Search Ghosts chasing him, he doubled back, following the Japanese at a distance.

He kicked a tin can which rattled. The Japanese sentry on the other side of the tree he hid behind turned to look. It was his last act as Brumby jammed his knife into the man's throat, twisting the blade and the Jap fell with a hollow rasping noise to mark his death.

The other Japanese sentry wasn't paying attention, he was looking at the bunker, no doubt waiting for one of the other soldiers to get tired so he could have some fun.

Brumby killed him just as silently, coming in from behind, grabbing the man by the mouth before stabbing the knife into the back of the skull, twisting the weapon. The Japanese soldier collapsed to the ground.

Just then one of the Koreans in Morikawa's troop walked out of the bunker to urinate and saw Brumby. He reached for his rifle, shouting as he twitched the safety.

The Australian raised his own gun and squeezed the trigger. The Owen sub machinegun's rattle echoed like several small thunderclaps.

--

From inside the bunker, Scrappy could see the Korean conscript at the entrance twitching like he was being electrocuted as bullets ripped him apart.

Morikawa was still on top of Lauren, caught with his pants literally around his ankles when Brumby threw the grenade into the room. Scrappy was far enough inside the bunker that the grenade explosion didn't affect him. Morikawa being on top of Lauren shielded her from the blast.

The other Japanese soldiers had taken some losses. The two closest to the man that had been shot were killed instantly by the grenade explosion.

Brumby burst into the room, gunning down the next Japanese soldier he saw in a hail of 9mm bullets from the Owen gun.

Morikawa attempted to reach for his pistol, wounded though he was from the grenade shrapnel. Brumby ran over to him and kicked him in the side.

He saw Lauren, blouse torn, her slacks were forced down her hips. "You bastard..." Brumby said as he kicked Morikawa again as the man reached for his gun.

Brumby stomped on the Japanese officer's hand and aimed his weapon at Morikawa's skull, "You rapist son of a bitch..."

The Australian squeezed the trigger and emptied the remaining seventeen rounds in his magazine into Morikawa's head. The Japanese officer's skull blew apart like a ripe melon, flinging brains, skull fragments and blood into the log walls of the bunker.

Lauren sat there, too horrified to speak. Conflicted. Yes, Morikawa had just raped her, but the sheer violence at which Brumby meted justice out was equally as horrible. Brumby just shot him down like an animal.

Brumby stood for a moment, reloading his magazine, looking at what he'd just done, at the impromptu paint job he'd given the bunker. He cut the ropes binding Lauren and took his shirt off, covering up Lauren's ripped apart blouse.

"We've gotta get you out of here." Brumby said as he cut Scrappy loose.

"You gave that rapist loser what he deserved..." Scrappy said as he saw Morikawa's headless corpse on the ground."

"Are you alright?" Brumby asked, _What a stupid question. Of course she isn't alright! She just lost her innocence to that asshole! I don't feel one bit of guilt for turning that son of a bitch into a bloody mess..._

"Come on, let's get you two back to safety." Brumby replied, stopping to remove his shirt and drape it gently over Lauren's shoulders for the sake of decency.

--

"At least two weeks of repairs before we can go anywhere." Kida said, "And that's with Audrey working night and day and everyone helping."

"You guys got help coming." Coonan said, "We've got Marine mechanics from VMF 127 willing to help your mechanic out. Consider it a reward for helping us out."

"Thank you." Kolopak said.

"No, thank you." Coonan replied, "Thanks to you a very dangerous demon was contained and information regarding the Heartless was uncovered in that cavern."

"What about your losses?" Kolopak asked Task.

"I lost six men, times two wounded." Task replied, "You should get treated..."

"My pride hurts more than anything else." Kolopak said as he pressed tighter on the wound on his forehead, "One of your men saved my life. Be sure PFC Karl gets a pat on the back for it."

"You have my word. And my thanks." Lt. Task replied.

Nearby Kolopak could see the Marines placing six rifles, bayonets first, into the ground, with dog tags on the trigger guard and helmets atop the stocks.

Task sighed inwardly. Six names. Six Marines. Six families. Shapiro. Bailey. Michaels. Scott. Clark. Mitchell. The casualties could have been far worse. The wounded had been evacuated off the island for hospitals in Australia by aircraft. According to HQ, more replacements were gonna be sent to the Marine Raiders. But no newcomers could replace the six men killed in the hearts of their surviving friends.

--

_From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli. _

_We fight our country's battles on the air, on land, and sea. _

_First to fight for right and freedom and to keep our honor clean. _

_We are proud to claim the title of United States Marines._

- **First verse of the Marines' Hymn **

--

"Thanks for saving me back there." Prue said.

"I did what I'd do for anyone else in that situation." Godfrey replied. He turned to walk away when Prue stopped him.

"For what it's worth, I know you didn't mean to come in on me in the shower." Prue began.

"Thank you for understanding." Godfrey replied.

_I should say it. Shouldn't I? I mean this war is going on, and it could be my last chance. _Prue replied.

He gazed at her, looking into her eyes. It seemed like she had something more to say. _Could she really feel the same way? Could it be possible._

_Now or never, come on, tell him_. Prue thought. She stepped closer to him, and whispered, "Remember the shower, when you got orbed in on me?"

"How can I forget? That's a sight and experience I won't forget if I live past a hundred." Godfrey replied.

"I'm glad I made that big of an impression on you." Prue replied.

"There's something I've wanted to say to you." Godfrey replied, "It's something that's been on my mind for a long time."

Prue stopped for a moment, "I also have something to say too."

"You should speak first." Godfrey replied.

"No, this could change a lot of things..." Prue replied.

"You should say it. It's best it not be left inside, whatever it is..." Godfrey replied.

"I'm in love with you..." Prue replied.

Stunned by her admission, Godfrey felt like he'd be struck in the head with a hammer. "Wartime makes all our hearts and minds rush." Godfrey said, "I've been feeling the same way about you for quite some time now."

Godfrey took hold of Prue, holding her close. He bent downward, and Prue angled her face to one side so their noses wouldn't bump. His lips made contact with hers, closing his eyes as he continued to passionately kiss her. He could feel her tongue starting to probe and he lightly moved his in. Tongues intertwining as they kissed each other, before parting for want of air.

A quick gasp from Prue began with a, "Your place or mine?"

"Mine's closer..." Godfrey replied. Kissing, fingers and hands fumbling with clothing. Prue kicked the door closed.

Prue's fingers tugged at the buttons of Godfrey's shirt. She finally gave up and just pulled it apart. _Damn British Army uniforms..._

Godfrey's own hands weren't idle by any stretch of the imagination. His fingers tugged Prue's blouse buttons, undoing them and then sliding the silken garment off her body. Prue wrapped her arms around Godfrey's bare chest as she kissed at his mouth and then his neck.

His fingers moved at her skirt clasp and the garment fell to the ground. He reached behind her back towards a certain closure and felt Prue's fingernails dig into his back as she felt him undo her bra. The black silk garment was slid off her arms and it fell away from her body with the gentlest touch.

Prue's fingers fumbled with Godfrey's belt and then his trousers as she slid them down his hips. They fell backward onto his bed.

Thoughts and emotions rushed through Prue's mind, she held Alan Godfrey as tightly as she could and wrapped her legs around him. Godfrey pressed against her, entering her.

Prue started to gasp as they kissed each other, and he could feel her clutching him, fingernails digging into his back some more before she finally called out his name. Afterward, they lay in bed, simply holding each other as Godfrey slid the blankets up to their chins before they fell asleep.

--

**To Be Continued...Up next, the Morrowind helps the 9****th**** Australian Division and receives a tip on Zomba, the third demon. Sorry to end this a bit too abruptly, but the next chapter will pick up right where this one left off. This was over forty pages of writing and months of hard work as it was.  
**

**Historian's note: Several Korean conscipts were part of the Japanese Army during World War II. **


End file.
